Odegaard was injured in Norway's 2-1 win over Austria in the Nations League, and was spotted leaving the Scandinavian country on crutches via a private jet as Arsenal fans continue to sweat over his injury. Reports have flooded through regarding his injury timeline over the past 48 hours, and the consensus is that he will be out for around three weeks - which would rule him out of the north London derby against bitter rivals Tottenham and a crunch clash away at Manchester City next weekend.
Odegaard 'Designed' for North London Derby
The playmaker could punish Tottenham's gaps in their defence
Martin Odegaard
Odegaard's injury could not come at a worse time for Arsenal. Not only have they been tasked with two tough Premier League ties in the space of a week, but the Champions League is around the corner and if Odegaard is out for three weeks, it will mean that Arteta will be without his captain for tricky clashes against Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain.
Martin Odegaard's Premier League statistics - Arsenal squad ranking, 2023/24
Stats
Output
Squad rank
Appearances
35
=6th
Goals
8
4th
Assists
10
1st
Key Passes Per Game
2.9
1st
Shots Per Game
2.2
2nd
Match rating
7.37
3rd
But all eyes will be on the north London derby for now; and speaking on Sky Sports' Back Pages podcast, Al-Samarrai claimed that Odegaard is Arsenal's best player 'by a street', before stating that the Norwegian playmaker was 'designed' to work his magic against Tottenham's leaky defence. He said:
"Quite simply, I think he's their bet. I think he's their best player by a street, talking just in the immediate future of the North London derby.
"Tottenham, by defensive line, you really want a lock picker who can play through the gaps that Tottenham always leave.
"Odegaard is the person who you would design for that particular scenario. So I think it's huge for Arsenal, the fact they've also got sort of doubts around Gabriel as well, Rice is banned, Merino and Calafiori at the back...they have got problems."
Odegaard's Derby Day Alternatives Analysed
A number of Gunners stars could come in to replace the skipper
Saka Odegaard
Kai Havertz will be the main candidate to replace Odegaard given that he began his career as an attacking midfielder - and that has been cemented given that Emile Smith Rowe departed for Fulham on a permanent deal before deadline day saw Fabio Vieira join former club Porto on loan with a view to his development.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Manchester United chief Erik ten Hag
Related
The German has sometimes played as an auxiliary striker in recent months as the Gunners continue to search for the perfect out-and-out striker, despite selling Eddie Nketiah to Crystal Palace - and Gabriel Jesus' poor form has pushed Havertz into a leading role.
But the former Chelsea man will be forced to replace Odegaard, and that could mean that Jesus comes back into the line-up as the spearhead in attack.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Martin Odegaard has two goals in seven games against Tottenham Hotspur.
Alternatively, Arteta could opt to give summer signing Raheem Sterling the chance to become an instant Gunners legend in a striking role given his proficiency for City in the past - and if the Englishman downs Tottenham on his debut, he could go down in folklore at the Emirates.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 12-09-24.
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