Arsenal are having an exemplary season so far. Leaders of the Premier League, the Gunners are also qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after their victory against Bayer Leverkusen. At the same time, the London club will try to win their first title of the season against Manchester City this Sunday in the Carabao Cup final. And that’s not all since the team coached by Mikel Arteta is also still in the FA Cup race. Convincing sporting results, especially at a time when Arsenal must cope without their playing master, Martin Ødegaard.
Hit in the knee against Brentford, the Norwegian international (67 caps, 4 goals) has since been on the sidelines. Although he played 13 minutes in the north London derby against Tottenham, Ødegaard missed six consecutive matches in all competitions: Chelsea, Brighton, Mansfield Town, Bayer Leverkusen (home and away) and Everton. A lack of size for a key player in the London squad. “We have another training session (this Saturday), so we hope that those who are in the running will give us good news”Arteta said about him.
A departure during the next transfer window?
In the dark, Ødegaard is champing at the bit and is generally going through a very frustrating season. As a reminder, so far, the Drammen native has only played 27 matches, including 16 as a starter. The reason? A series of physical glitches. Hit in the shoulder between August and September, the Gunners number 8 must now manage a capricious knee. Injuries which, however, do not prevent Arsenal from performing on all fronts. Which also calls into question the importance of the 1m78 left-hander.
So valuable last season, the one who continues to benefit from the confidence of his coach sees, in fact, Mikel Merino or even Eberechi Eze doing the job. A loss of influence which could even lead to a surprise departure. Recently, The Telegraph thus assured that Arsenal will have to sell at least one starting player this summer because the club must face the significant expenses of last year. The British daily then specified that Martin Odegaard was a “candidate to leave the club”just like Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard. Case to be continued but it is clear that Martin Ødegaard finds himself, today, in a more than uncomfortable situation.
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