Arsenal seem to have struck gold with Martin Odegaard, as the former Real Madrid wonderkid is now one of the best midfielders in Europe.
Odegaard has been a standout figure for Arsenal in the last two seasons, and Gary Neville even claimed that he was the best player in the entire Premier League this season.
The 25-year-old is Arsenal’s captain, having taken on leadership duties in 2022, just 18 months after he first arrived, and this becomes even more remarkable given that he did not fully convince in his first 12 months in North London.
Club legend Tony Adams even questioned Odegaard’s signing, initially on loan from Real Madrid, as an unnecessary one which would block the development of Emile Smith Rowe, and whilst he has been proven correct over the Englishman, the Norweigan had to work hard to prove himself at the club.
His initial displays after joining Mikel Arteta’s struggling side in January 2021 to replace Mesut Ozil showed glimpses of promise, but he was yet to fully convince until one masterclass display two months after he joined.
Arsenal went 3-0 down in the first half away at West Ham in 2021
Arsenal finally started finding some form following the introduction of Odegaard and Smith Rowe into the team, and beat Tottenham Hotspur in a North London derby in mid-March 2021. However, any good feeling from this win evaporated when Arsenal found themselves 3-0 down away at West Ham within 32 minutes.
David Moyes’ side had blown Arsenal away, as goals from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek saw the hosts race into the lead. An own goal from Soucek meant Arsenal pulled one back just before half time, but the game appeared to be lost.
That was until Martin Odegaard truly showed what he was all about, both in terms of pure creative quality, as well as through sheer determination as a player destined to become a key leader in the squad.
Odegaard grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, and without registering a goal or an assist in the game, he was the player responsible for dragging his side to an unexpected point.
Martin Odegaard stepped up to deliver masterclass in Arsenal’s hour of need
Odegaard’s performance in the second half was simply breathtaking. He took command of the ball, urging his teammates forward, and he constantly found the excellent Calum Chambers with attacking passes into the final third.
The midfielder made 16 penalty box entries, fired in nine crosses and completed four take-ons, whilst also creating four chances for his teammates, totals which no one else on the pitch could match.
He picked up the ball with the intent to drive it forward, in a season which had seen Arteta’s side falter in a run of just one open-play goal in eight games between October and December.
What was noticeable about Odegaard’s display was that he was not only aggressive in his actions, urging his team to fight for their pride and a point, but his sublime technique meant that despite producing excellent creative output, he also registered a 93% pass accuracy.
Odegaard’s pass to Chambers helped set up the Dawson own goal, and his sublime reverse pass to Nicolas Pepe helped set up Alexandre Lacazette’s equaliser. His passes were hit with a speed that was non-existent in the Arsenal side before his arrival.
Martin Odegaard proved himself to Mikel Arteta with performance at West Ham
Arsenal did secure a point as an own goal from Craig Dawson was followed up by a late equaliser from Lacazette, and the second-half performance showed that Arteta’s side were capable of fight and quality when everything was going against them.
For Odegaard, this was the moment he truly arrived at Arsenal. As a prodigal wonderkid who had encountered some difficulty at Real Madrid, this was the game which showed that he could be the young superstar to lead Arsenal into a new era after a tough few years.
Arteta pushed hard to keep Odegaard permanently after his loan ended, and he landed a bargain. Odegaard returned, with some still sceptical about whether he was the right choice, but 12 months later, he became the Arsenal captain.
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Odegaard arrived in a team in crisis languishing lower down the table. Now, he is the captain of a side challenging at the top of the Premier League, and he may look back on his display at West Ham as a turning point, both in his own career and for Arteta’s Arsenal project.