No midfielder has more goals than Martin Odegaard in the Premier League this season. If you had have been told that would happen when he first signed for Arsenal in 2021, you could have been forgiven for having your doubts.
Everyone was aware of the Norwegian after he burst onto the scene at the age of 15, but his reputation was as a mercurial creator, rather than a final third killer. During his initial loan period in north London he had only managed two goals in 20 appearances, and despite hitting double figures in a spell with Vitesse, questions remained over his end product at the highest level.
This season though, he has more than silenced those doubters and found another gear with 15 goals. That is no coincidence as far as Arsenal are concerned.
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One thing Mikel Arteta has brought to Arsenal that was sorely lacking under Unai Emery or during the latter days of Arsene Wenger's era, is a clear tactical identity. Under the Spaniard, the primary aim of the possession-based approach is to get the ball into positions where the probability of scoring is at its highest. It is for this reason that Pep Guardiola-esque cutbacks into the penalty box from the byline have become a regular sight at the Emirates Stadium this season. Odegaard is one of the undoubted beneficiaries.
It is for this reason that Arteta does not seem to be too surprised by the numbers his captain is putting up this season. "That’s something our attacking midfielders have to have the ability to do, and that’s why we play in a certain way to exploit those spaces," he told football.london ahead of the 2-0 win at Newcastle on Sunday. "Martin has the capacity to do that, he’s finding himself in those positions and then he is being very effective in the final action. It’s something very important for us."
Take his goal from the 4-0 win over Everton in February as an example of how the Norwegian is profiting from Arsenal's style of play. Leandro Trossard receives the ball on the left and makes a dart to the byline, dragging the whole Toffees backline deep with him. Odegaard meanwhile arrives slightly later around the penalty spot.
Trossard looks up and sees him before providing a low cross that Odegaard can turn home.
Many people - including Odegaard himself - have made the comparison between the Norwegian and former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. With runs like these though, it feels that maybe Aaron Ramsey is a more accurate comparison.
By his own admission it's something that he's worked on since arriving in north London. “I think I’m better at coming into those areas now – I attack the box more,” he said after netting a brace against Wolves in November. “They may not be the most beautiful goals but I’m in the right places and that helps a lot. I’m always happy to help the team with goals.” On that day at Molineux his goals had come from late surges into the box and there have been several others like that across the course of the season against, Chelsea, Fulham and Bournemouth to name but a few.
This though isn't necessarily anything new. If you look back on Odegaard's goal against Everton at Goodison Park in early December last season, the Norwegian has been making these kind of late runs into the box for a while now. What's brought about the eye-catching uptake in terms of his end product, is the consistency with which he now does it.
A key reason for this is where Arsenal find themselves playing on the pitch. Each season under Arteta the Gunners have progressed further and further up the field. During the Spaniard's first full season in charge Arsenal ranked sixth in the Premier League for touches in the opposition penalty area (as per fbRef). Last year they moved up slightly to fourth, but this season they have leapt up to first, above even Manchester City.
Again Odegaard is reaping the rewards. Last season the 24-year-old ranked in just the seventh percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90, but this year he has shot up to the 92nd percentile with 3.55. Of course finishing those chances off is not necessarily easy, but he's being in positions to score more frequently than ever before, and seems to be relishing having such a decisive impact on matches. If he nets twice more in Arsenal's remaining three games, he will equal the record for most non-penalty goals by a midfielder in Premier League history.
For years Odegaard's nomadic existence felt like it meant he would never be able to deliver on his undoubted potential. Finally now though in Arteta and Arsenal he has found a manager and a club where he feels at home. In a stellar campaign almost across the board for the Gunners, Odegaard is probably the pick of the bunch, and his team's tactics are a huge reason for that.
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