Arsenal: 5 tactical demands for Martin Odegaard in 4-2-3-1

At long last the Arsenal world can turn a page on at least one transfer saga as the window draws to a close, with the elusive creative midfielder who has been desired all summer arriving in the form of Martin Odegaard.

From being the number one target before the window even opened to then being considered out of the Gunners’ reach as Real Madrid looked to hold onto him, a full circle has been completed with the Norwegian signing a permanent contract.

Thought to be in the region of £30m possibly rising by £4m more depending on certain add-ons, it constitutes a fine piece of business from Arsenal who have secured their man well below Los Blancos’ original £45m valuation.

Taking Arsenal’s spending well past the £100m mark, Mikel Arteta and Edu have succeeded in landing the Spaniard’s key targets this summer, leaving him no margin for error as he aims to arrest a slide down the table that has seen the club finish eighth in consecutive Premier League seasons.

Arsenal: 5 tactical demands for Martin Odegaard in 4-2-3-1 after Mikel Arteta completed £30m transfer of Real Madrid midfielder in summer window

Business is far from concluded this summer though, with a host of players needing to be moved on to reduce the bloated squad and trim the wage bill. Such departures can then facilitate further additions to get Arteta closer to his desired squad.

In regards to the Norwegian, this is one of the additions that is expected to have the biggest impact on the side. While there are issues galore at Arsenal, the lack of goals and chance creation is the most startling, therefore whoever would be signed to come in at No. 10 has a big job on his hands.

Does he get thrust straight into the starting lineup? It’s hard to imagine he won’t be. Sadly, however, that won’t be on Sunday for the Chelsea clash as the new arrival couldn’t secure a visa in time to feature.

His time will come though, potentially even on the following Wednesday when Arteta takes his side to the Hawthorns to face West Brom in the Carabao Cup second round. Whenever Odegaard’s time may be, he has a few jobs to carry out.

1. Get Aubameyang Scoring Again

The best way to get Arsenal improving as an overall package is to get Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring goals again. When he’s firing he is one of the most natural scorers not just at Arsenal but in the division. While the ways in which to improve the side as an attacking unit are plentiful, none will see a greater increase in productivity than the captain finding the back of the net with regularity.

Are those days past him?

The jury is out on whether Aubameyang’s decline is systematically or structurally related, or simply down to the fact of him being 32 years old now and past his best.

Should it be the former, then we’ll know for definite when the additional creativity Odegaard brings is added into the team.

Looking at the three who could feature behind the striker – Emile Smith Rowe, Odegaard and Bukayo Saka – that blend is what can cater to the captain’s strengths. While we shouldn’t lean too heavily on a single performance, the 4-2 win over Leeds last season was Aubamayeng’s best performance all year and featured that quartet.

Technical security and pace across the front line can see the No. 14 flourish. If he still can’t score with additional final third punch behind him, he likely won’t again too often in red and white.