Arsenal’s interest in Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, should be a wake-up call for Martin Odegaard, as this signifies the Gunners intention to replace the Norwegian.
According to the Express the Gunners are pursuing a deal for Sterling, after Barcelona have pulled out of the race to sign him.
And if Arsenal do complete the signing, then he would likely feature in the wing position which could see Emile Smith Rowe move into a more central role.
Odegaard has already lost his place in the side, and this signing suggests that the club could be moving in a different direction, which could make it difficult for the 22-year-old to get into Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.
Odegaard signed £30m in the summer transfer window from Real Madrid, after impressing during his loan spell with the club last season.
Arteta had put him straight into the side and the club saw a change of results, which would be the start of a 10 match unbeaten run.
Odegaard had a big part to play in the early matches, as his crucial free-kick against Burnley away at Turf Moor secured an important 1-0 victory for the Gunners, which recorded the team’s first away win in the Premier League this season.
However, after a few games, he started to have a major dip in form and was struggling to connect with the rest of the attack or create any chances.
It was due to this that Arteta changed the system to a 4-4-2 which doesn’t suit Odegaard and he has been left out of the side as a result.
What makes matters worse for him is that Smith Rowe has been excelling for Arsenal this season and has arguably been the club’s best player so far.
So, if Sterling was to come in and play on the wing, it is likely that Smith Rowe would be chosen ahead of Odegaard in a more central attacking role.
Odegaard realises the growth of Smith Rowe and has acknowledged the team’s improvement on the performances, as he said: I was out of the team and those who entered did well, I haven’t played as much as I wish, but that’s football. Those who have played have done well. We have done very good as a team, That’s positive”
The midfielder shouldn’t be disheartened by the potential different direction that Arsenal are looking to move towards.
He has already shown he has the quality to succeed in an Arsenal shirt, it is just important that he regains his form before it becomes too difficult to get back in the team.
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