Christian Nørgaard's biggest complaint is exactly what Arsenal fans wanted

Of Arsenal's eight new signings in the summer, fair to say Christian Nørgaard was not the arrival that brought about the most fanfare.

New striker Viktor Gyökeres and boyhood Arsenal fan Eberechi Eze were the two recruits supporters were most excited about on the whole, while Martín Zubimendi has probably proved to be the most important new signing. Nevertheless, while he has been little more than a bit part player thus far, Nørgaard is proving to be a shrewd addition too.

A complete overhaul of Mikel Arteta's midfield options was required, following the departures of both Jorginho and Thomas Partey. Alongside Zubimendi, Nørgaard arrived for £12 million in a rather left-field acquisition. The Danish international had made 196 appearances for his previous club Brentford, of which 122 had been in the Premier League. He was their club captain for two seasons following the departure of Pontus Jansson.

Nørgaard was one of the first names on Thomas Frank's team sheet week in and week out in West London. However, given the presence of Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, this was never likely to be the case north of the River Thames, but the 31-year-old appears to be embracing the challenge of his new role.

Christian Nørgaard adapting to life at Arsenal

Speaking to Arsenal's official website, Nørgaard spoke openly about his first six months at the club. When asked about adapting to not playing week in and week out, he said the following:

""No, I don’t really find [being on the bench] easy, but I also believe in what you give is what you get. So for me to be able to feel highly energised and in a good spirit, no matter the minutes I play, I also have to give something of myself. I try to remind myself that even when it can be a bit frustrating not playing, I still have to bring to the group because that dynamic will also give me energy back again.”"

Christian Nørgaard

The Dane is yet to start a Premier League match this season, making 11 appearances across all competitions to date, of which six have been starts, totalling 589 minutes.

He has been included in the lineup for Champions League matches away in Prague and Brugge, as well as all three Carabao Cup ties, a streak that is forecast to end at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

At the weekend, Nørgaard was required to fill-in at centre-back against Portsmouth in the FA Cup, given the absences of Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapié and Riccardo Calafiori. Gabriel was his experienced partner for most of the afternoon at Fratton Park, before being replaced by Marli Salmon, the 16 -year-old becoming the youngest player to ever represent Arsenal in the competition.

The day Salmon was born, 29 August 2009, Arsène Wenger was famously sent off at Old Trafford for kicking a water bottle.

Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea is the fourth of nine matches Arsenal will play during a jam-packed January. Thus, Arteta is going to need everyone and that certainly includes Nørgaard, whether that be in midfield or as a makeshift centre-back.