8 Arsenal players who improved the most under Mikel Arteta

4. Martin Odegaard

Martin Odegaard's redemption arc should be studied in schools, honestly. When he first broke onto the scene almost a decade ago after Real Madrid signed him as a teenager, he was tipped to be the next best thing. Turns out, playing for Los Blancos wasn't to be for him, as he wasn't given a great chance to shine.

Odegaard was sent out on several loan spells but it was with Arsenal where he impressed the most. Odegaard was originally signed in the middle of the 2020/21 season, initially on loan. He hailed Mikel Arteta was a great pull factor for him before signing, claiming (via Sky Sports):

"I spoke to him (Arteta) before coming here, of course, that was very important for me and he seems like a top manager and I liked his ideas, the way he sees football and also the way he is.

A few years down the line and he would become the most important player at Arsenal, orchestrating them through his leadership qualities as the captain on a weekly basis. Odegaard is an example to every young player to stop listening to outside noise and trust the process.

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