Arteta can fix Odegaard’s strike by unleashing Arsenal’s ‘foul magnet’

Injuries. Damn Mikel Arsenallife. Damn ArsenalVery present over the past year.

It is not unreasonable to suggest that without them last season, the Gunners would have taken the title over Liverpool.

Arteta is certainly not one to make excuses when they have players on the treatment table but the fact of the matter is that they are without Gabriel, Kai Havertz and chief among them Bukayo Saka due to serious hamstring injuries.

Combine that with Martin OdegaardAnkle problem a year ago and they were, if you’ll pardon the pun, severely disabled by the events that had occurred.

Fast forward to the current season, and despite nearly £300m being pumped into the squad, adding further depth to Arteta’s ranks, they are feeling the effects once again.

Havertz has been sidelined since August, William Saliba has also missed a few games, and Saka has suffered another minor niggle of his own as well. That’s without mentioning Noni Madueke, Saka’s backup, who will also miss out due to injury.

So, when Odegaard limped off the pitch during their 2-0 win over West Ham last weekend, you could hear the sounds of drones inside the Emirates Stadium.

Latest news on Martin Odegaard’s injury

This has been a particularly worrying year for the Arsenal captain. During the international break at the start of last season, he suffered an ankle injury while playing for Norway and it’s safe to say he hasn’t been the same since.

The issue kept the captain out for a few months, and even when he returned, there was a feeling that the Arsenal midfielder wasn’t feeling comfortable. He didn’t trust his ankle enough to hit the ball cleanly when shooting. This also affected his ability to make games.

The numbers below rubber stamp this fact. From 2023/24 to 2024/25, his underlying numbers were much lower than you would expect.

So, it’s typical that just as Odegaard started to find his form again, he suffered another injury.

In the brief glimpses we’ve seen of the former Real Madrid player this season, there have been promising signs, not least against Olympiacos in the Champions League.

During Arsenal’s 2-0 win, the Norwegian simply ran the show, providing the assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal and then opening up the defense to assist Saka with a late shot.

Odegaard was a regular but was soon injured again, raising fears this could happen Jack Wilshere’s stance again.

In fact, against West Ham last weekend, he featured in his third consecutive league game, creating a bit of history in the process. Worryingly, he became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted at half-time in three successive matches.

So, what’s the problem? Well, he left the UAE wearing a knee brace last week and subsequent scans showed he had damaged his medial collateral ligament. As a result, he withdrew from Norway’s matches during the current break.

A suspected timeline for a return has yet to be revealed, raising fears Odegaard could be out for several weeks.

How can Arsenal solve Odegaard’s injury blow?

The most likely solution for Arsenal would be Back seat. It took place in the summer and was widely expected Huge £67.5 million cash arrives He will play on the left side.

After all, Arteta has asked for promotions for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, and was thought to have signed one here.

However, Eze’s initial performance on the left flank lacked a bit of sparkle. They were strong enough but it was clear that he was playing a role that he did not enjoy very much. Against Bilbao in the Champions League, he provided just one assist, which is below his 2024/25 season average of 1.7 while playing more centrally for Crystal Palace.

It is in this central role that Eze has featured in Arsenal’s last three matches. The difference was noticeable.

He found the back of the net against Port Vale and then against Newcastle. He was unlucky not to score twice, but Nick Pope made excellent saves on two occasions. Against West Ham, fans were cruelly deprived of seeing him in the line-up alongside Odegaard for too long when the latter came off.

Scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists last season, the England international is certainly the most obvious candidate to replace Odegaard.

However, in the two gems at Hill End, Arteta has two more luxurious options: Ethan Nwaneri, who played regularly in Odegaard’s role during pre-season, and Max Doman’s generation.

It is unlikely that Daumann will be given a start, but this looks like the perfect opportunity to give the 15-year-old game time in a role where the club envision his future.

So far, the in-form teenager has only been seen at first-team level on the right flank, and starred in pre-season when he remarkably earned a penalty against Newcastle, before making 27 Premier League minutes in that role.

Doman may not have played many minutes in the league yet, but he still made a big impact, becoming the second-youngest player in the division’s history and winning a penalty in a 5-0 win over Leeds.

As Mikel Merino commented earlier this year, the youngster is already “unbelievable”. Fellow midfielder Declan Rice also performed. “I’ve never seen a 15-year-old so comfortable with the first team, it’s crazy.” completely.

What Doman is doing is not normal. Not even Nwaniri came on the scene in this way. He was 15 years old when he made his debut but had to wait a few more years for regular opportunities. This kid really gets them. Do we have another Lamin Yamal on our hands?

Expectations have to be tempered and we have to be careful here. Merino’s next comment was to remind everyone, “He’s only 15, so he obviously has a lot of things to learn.”

But what makes this young star so special? Well, he has the ability to score and assist at will, as he scored 19 goals in 23 last season and provided five assists. Meanwhile, his ability to get past players with ease has already made him a target for defenders.

Data analyst Ben Mattinson shows how The teenager is already a ‘foul magnet’ and that is something Arteta has also discovered.

Commenting on Doman’s development earlier this season, the Spaniard said: “He’s so used to it (being kicked by defenders) that now he knows he has to let the referee deal with it and maybe my teammates defend me, and I’ll keep playing.”

So, while the Hill End prodigy is unlikely to start while Odegaard is injured, Arteta should use this as an opportunity to give more minutes to the biggest talents in the club’s academy.