Arsenal: Martin Odegaard signing solves creative chasm

Getting Martin Odegaard back from Real Madrid is vital for Arsenal as they’ve spent the summer eyeing creative reinforcements, and now look like signing their number one target for less than Emi Buendia, who a bid was lodged for back at the very early workings of the transfer window. This move edges ever closer.

While he is not Julian Brandt, Houssem Aouar, Bernardo Silva or James Maddison – some of the names linked throughout the summer – the Norwegian international is a formidable talent in his own right. While Carlo Ancelotti is simply using him to fund his own project at Real Madrid at this point, this should not intimate that Odegaard doesn’t have otherworldly ability when in his stride.

He looked that way for the Gunners at the end of last season, and so it should be of little wonder why Mikel Arteta wanted him back – especially after the season opening loss to Brentford.

What business do Arsenal have left to do before the summer window is closed? Who might stay and who still might go? What impact will young Odegaard have on the rest of his talented teammates, both young and old?

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Arsenal: Martin Odegaard signing solves creative chasm as Mikel Arteta closes in on £30m transfer for Real Madrid midfielder as summer window deadline draws nearer

The attacking midfielder should slot back into the No. 10 spot on the pitch and act as a proper engine of creativity for the club and its dynamic young players. Odegaard will be tasked with feeding and incorporating the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette (if either are still with the team) Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe and the like.

While those are impressive talents and can cause damage when they’re on form, far too often they are not incorporated in productive ways. That’s precisely why Odegaard has been so coveted by Arteta. In 22 games last season across all competitions, the 22-year-old recorded two goals and two assists respectively; while those numbers do not jump off the page at you, they do demonstrate that the player has lots to contribute to a club that will simply let him play. He recorded more key passes (2.1) per 90 than any other Arsenal player last season and his xA per 90 also topped that of any of his teammates.

Real Madrid have seemingly never been that team for him, yet Arsenal and Arteta are more than happy to let him ‘drive their car’ to use a turn of phrase. He will have to drive it well, for the expectations remain sky high in north London, despite lower practical developments over the last number of seasons.

The FA Cup and Community Shield were welcome additions, and I’m by no means downplaying them, but Arsenal supporters and players alike simply have a higher standard for the badge than that at this point.

I think that the player will have the desired effect on the rest of the team, and alongside an eventually healthy Thomas Partey, Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, could form an imposing middle of the pitch. Getting those aforementioned attacking players involved into the match will be objective number one for him day-in-and-out, and if he can accomplish this, the team will be clicking well enough to earn him substantial praise – and eventually better wages to boot.

Will he get any more help though? That is another question worth discussing as this summer window winds down. What will be next?

Continued…

What Else Will Arsenal Do as the Summer Deadline Approaches?

While both Auba and Laca have been rumored to be available for the right price, I’m not personally sure that it’s reasonable to suspect both or even one of them will be sold this window as there just aren’t any buyers. The winter window is another matter, though.

Lucas Torreira should already be gone, and if not for his considerably diminished allure, he would be. The Uruguayan was very highly thought of by Unai Emery, who might wish to have him back with Villarreal, but has invariably fallen out of favor at the club; his loan spell with Atletico Madrid did not prove a remedy the situation at all, unfortunately.

And so something will have to be decided upon regarding him, one way or another. Other names that have been spoken about are Mohamad Elneny, of whom has registered interest from Bestikas in Turkey, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, as well as Willian. Were the club to sell almost all of these players, sans Torreira, they’d likely have enough money, with a little help from the Kroenke’s, for one more proper signing; who might that be?

I would imagine that perhaps one of the aforementioned players might be no longer on the list, given Odegaard’s arrival, although there is scope for a bargain Aouar deal to be struck, an the need for a right-back.

With what was seen against Brentford to open up the season, the club have work to do still. The Premier League is a long slog, and one that can’t be over in the first weeks of August no matter who you are. Arsenal need innovation in the midfield, and Odegaard is a real step in that direction. He will pair up nicely with the other talent, many of whom he is already friends with from last season, and will offer the Gunners something different than they have without him. His vision stands out.

There is still more to be done, however; more outgoing business must be accomplished so that incoming business can also be consummated. For Edu and Arteta, time is of the essence, yet building the team properly will ultimately yield them more time than some half-baked rush job. There is much to see this season after all, and we’ve seen just a fraction thus far. Stay tuned.