Martin Odegaard has been a major talking point since Arsenal’s domination of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday
Arsenal will hope to follow up their dominating performance against Tottenham Hotspur in their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich. The Gunners defeat their north London rivals 4-1 in Sunday’s afternoon clash to move six points clear at the top of the Premier League.
With just one defeat all season, Mikel Arteta‘s side return to the European competition tonight where they have a 100% win rate, alongside their German opponents. The Bundesliga champions are yet to lose across all competitions this season but Arsenal will certainly fancy their chances given their form.
One player who’ll be eagerly awaiting the tasty fixture is Eberechi Eze, following his hat-trick three days ago. Likely to retain his spot in Arteta’s starting line-up, the England star’s performance has led to questions surrounding captain Martin Odegaard’s place in the team.
Alongside conversations regarding the skipper, one summer signing’s decision to join the Gunners has continued to baffled a club legend as Mirror Football takes a look at the latest headlines coming out of the Emirates Stadium.
Martin Odegaard agreement
It’s been an injury-hit season so far for the Arsenal captain. The 26-year-old has made just six appearances in the Premier League, completing 90 minutes just once. Despite his importance to Arteta’s side, he certainly wasn’t missed in the 4-1 rout on Sunday with Eberechi Eze starring in his place.
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The man-of-the-match performance by the England star left some of the most prominent pundits in the country convinced the Norwegian is facing a tall order to return to the starting XI. Rio Ferdinand took to his podcast after Sunday’s game and said: “Odegaard has been someone; if he’s fit, he’s going to play.
“Right now, Eze has just said to Mikel Arteta, ‘You need to rethink that, and I’ve got to be the first name right now. I’ve got the shirt. Odegaard’s got to come and get it back off me even though he’s the captain’.”
His thoughts were echoed by the likes of Wayne Rooney, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, and it was the latter that said on Sky Sports that Eze suits the number 10 role better than the Gunners skipper.
“I think he’s better in the 10,” the Manchester United icon said. “I love him in the 10. I love him in the 10 because I love Odegaard in the 10. So it’s two great options to have. But why do I like him in the 10? I think he’s got the ability to beat a man with the ball at his feet. I think he’s got the ability to sort of go and do something that’s more unpredictable, maybe than Odegaard.”
Kepa signing questioned
With David Raya reigning as Arsenal’s undisputed number one, Arteta decided to bring in ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in a £5million deal. Signed to be back-up to his compatriot, the 31-year-old has played just two games this season, both in the Carabao Cup.
Still possessing the record of being the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after the Blues spent £72m on him in 2018, Kepa’s decision to sign for the Gunners was a decision Lee Dixon has yet to fathom.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
The Arsenal great was asked whether the Spaniard made a mistake by joining the north London side, to which he told Metro: “Yeah, I couldn’t believe he came. You would need to ask him what his reasons were because I don’t know. I don’t know why you would, at his stage of his career, make that decision.
“He’s never going to play. He’s only going to play if David Raya gets injured. So why would you want to do that? I guess all players are different and he might have a different mindset. There might be something going on personally that he needs to be settled in the area, I don’t know. But from a football point of view, it didn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.”
