Arsenal: 3 Martin Odegaard Options Under Mikel Arteta

Covering Bukayo Saka at Right-Winger

All the talk of needing someone to give Smith Rowe’s legs a wee break has masked over similar needs for Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal’s star man this season is of supreme importance to the club. Perhaps most influential of all. Due to that, he’s played in all-but two of the Premier League fixtures this season on top of trips away with the national side. Not used in the Europa League group stages, now the Gunners are into the nitty gritty of the knockout stages, his value to the side becomes apparent once more.

Adding those fixtures (hopefully more than just the two) on top of an already congested season will require him to rest, which is where Odegaard can come in.

Far from a quintessential winger, neither is Saka. Unlike the Nicolas Pepe ilk, Odegaard won’t be getting chalk on his boots all game in the same vein of the 19-year-old.

He’s played in wide areas before during his career, either on the left or the right, where he can help build triangles in wide areas before interchanging with his fellow forwards and moving infield. Calmness in these areas when Arsenal look for overloads, Odegaard has the nous to pick out a teammate in either one or two touch fashion.

It wouldn’t be an uncomfortable role for him to operate in, even if he isn’t as pacey as his new teammates.

Possessing a varied enough skill set to still be effective in wide berths, heightened technical ability and glue-like feet ensure he is capable of beating his man one-on-one. Despite Arsenal playing with two wide players, one is given license to drift into the half-spaces and allow for an overlapping full-back, where Odegaard could thrive.

In Arteta’s fluid formation fantasy, tasks out wide come hand-in-hand with central obligations, thus someone of his versatility and technical competence won’t disrupt his intended flow.