Martin Odegaard is mounting a strong case to become the new permanent Arsenal captain.
Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were Arsenal’s two key skippers last season, but with both players have now left, leaving Arteta looking for a new figurehead.
Although still just 23, Odegaard looks like a top contender after Arteta turned to him for the final eight games of the season last term, and the attacker has already made it clear he’d be ‘happy’ to take the role on a permanent basis this season.
“It’s not something I think about. I think about the future, and to make that as good as possible, so we’ll see what happens. I always enjoy responsibility. I’m captain for my country (Norway) and it’s a nice experience, so I enjoy that.
“I don’t know anything about the situation here, I think that question is for Mikel Arteta and the club, but if he asked me of course I would be happy to do it. And I think you will see a hungry Arsenal team coming back now.”
Arteta himself said he’s not far off announcing the club’s new captain, and he also talked about the ‘qualities’ Odegaard possesses to take on such a role. “I wanted to see how everybody is integrating, the new boys, the ones that come from pre-season. The next few weeks it will be decided and explained,” said the Gunners chief.
“Martin (Odegaard) has a lot of qualities that we want as a captain.” While a huge compliment from the Arsenal boss, if the attacker is given the honour of leading the side, then it’s likely Arteta will want to see him taking on an even bigger role this season.
Odegaard has started pre-season strong with the Gunners, featuring in all three of their victories in the US, the most notable of which was a 4-0 demolition of Chelsea where he both scored and assisted.
Creating chances has often been a key staple of the Norwegian’s game. While he only managed four league assists last season, it’s worth noting that he ranked top at Arsenal in terms of having the highest Expected Assist (xA) and key passes per 90 averages.
Only three Premier League players - Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes - actually created more chances for teammates. He’ll be pleased to see the arrival of players like Gabriel Jesus who should in theory help him turn the same into more crucial returns in terms of assists.
Arsenal scored just 61 goals last season, that was 38 fewer than champions Manchester City. The club have tried to close that gap and strengthen their Champions League push by signing the likes of Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Oleksandr Zinchenko, however, with this added responsibility, eyes will be on Odegaard to increase his own output in the new season too.
The 23-year-old chipped in with seven league goals during the last campaign, a solid return, though not a total he can’t look to improve on this season, especially if he wants to climb to a level in which he can one day rival the output of similar elite profiles such as De Bruyne.
Man City’s Belgium star scored 15 league goals last season and was averaging around 3.14 shots per 90. Odegaard’s average was much lower at 1.72. City see more of the ball than Arsenal on average, amplifying De Bruyne’s opportunities to receive passes and
influence play.
But Arsenal aim to implement a similarly dominant style, and Odegaard is given a key role within that - he was the target of more passes than any other Arsenal player who played over 1500 league minutes in the last campaign.
There’s no doubt Odegaard is already extremely important at the Emirates. His creativity is almost unrivalled and he works tirelessly off-the-ball, aiding Arsenal’s ability to press coherently high up the pitch.
However, Arteta will be looking to the Norwegian to climb to new levels this season, especially if he’s named the leader of the group which is now looking increasingly likely.
