Arsenal transfer stance on £30million star who ‘the team has missed so much’

Martin Odegaard remains part of Mikel Arteta’s plans despite the injury problems that have restricted him to a bit-part role this season.

The club captain has been a driving force behind the improvement the Gunners have made under Arteta’s management.

Odegaard’s seniority and importance was underlined when he was handed the captaincy in the summer of 2022 but his influence has been on the wane following the ankle injury he sustained playing for Norway last season.

The 27-year-old has struggled to maintain his fitness ever since undergoing surgery and has been restricted to making just 29 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal this season and only four since February.

Odegaard’s latest attempt at a comeback lasted less than two games after he was substituted during Tuesday’s win over Sporting Lisbon and was unavailable for selection against Bournemouth yesterday.

With two years left on his current contract, Arsenal are likely to make a decision imminently on whether to extend or entertain offers for a player who cost them £30million when he joined from Real Madrid, after an initial six-month loan, back in 2021.

The signing of Eberechi Eze in the summer appeared to herald a potential changing of the guard in Arsenal’s key playmaking role, while youngsters Ethan Nwaneri, currently on loan at Marseille, and Max Dowman are likely to all vie for that position in the coming years.

According to the Daily Mail, however, Odegaard still retains the faith of Arteta and despite his inactivity on the pitch has still been playing a hugely influential role behind the scenes.

A source is reported as saying: ‘The team has missed him so much for what he brings,’ he said. ‘There’s some things that are probably unnoticed to the public… it’s profound within the team and the identity of this team.

‘So, we need him at his best. We need him constantly with us because we are a much better team when Martin is in and around the team.’

Both Arteta and Odegaard will have a job on their hands, meanwhile, to lift spirits after a defeat against the Cherries that has blown the title race wide open.

‘It’s a big punch in the face, and extremely disappointing,’ said Arteta. “That’s what I said to the boys.

‘There are no grey areas. Today there were some very basic things that we did extremely badly. When you do that, they’re going to capitalise, and it becomes very chaotic and very difficult to control.

‘We have to look at ourselves. We have to suffer. It’s painful. It’s a terrible feeling. But tomorrow is a different day. And if somebody would have said to me in August, we are in this position right now in April, I’m sure we would all have taken it.’

Arsenal have finished runners-up for the past three seasons, and their latest defeat not only hands the championship momentum to City, but again raises serious questions about their title-winning mentality.

The two rivals meet at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday, and should Pep Guardiola’s side triumph in that match, see off Chelsea on Sunday, and also beat Burnley on April 22 they would be level on points with the Gunners with five games remaining.

But Arteta, who was without Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori through injury on Saturday, said: ‘We can’t control that. What we can control is our performances over the last nine months.

‘Anything that is said when you have a defeat at home, you have to accept that. There are no excuses. It’s about how we’re going to stand up, first of all, individually, and then as a team to change that immediately on Wednesday (against Sporting in the second leg).

‘So, we need everything. We need everybody fit and available. The ones that were not involved today are really big, important players, and we need them immediately with us because then we’re going to be much stronger.

‘And then the other ones, they need to stand up. Me, being the first one, and embrace this challenge and go for it.’