The gifted midfielder is a key player for Mikel Arteta, but the Gunners boss will take great encouragement from the fact that his side were able to win games without the Norwegian as they find themselves just a point behind league leaders Liverpool.
Odegaard is currently doing his rehab and could be involved in the matchday squad when Arsenal face Bournemouth after the international break if everything goes to plan.
Even if he doesn’t feature against the Cherries, Arsenal will hope to have their captain back for the crunch Premier League clash against Liverpool later this month in a game that could pose a serious test to their title credentials.
And David James feels Arsenal’s Premier League title rivals will be worried by the fact that they coped quite well in Odegaard’s absence.
The former Liverpool goalkeeper feels the Gunners proved their title credentials by continuing to win games in the Norwegian’s absence, who was arguably their best player last season.
James said (via Sky Sports News): “One thing I will say, if I can, just mention about Arsenal, which I would be a little bit worried if I was one of the challengers for the title, is that they have done extremely well without Odegaard.
“And Odegaard, especially last season, I thought was their talisman and they have managed to get through a really rough period without him.”
Arsenal notched up five wins and two draws across all competitions in Odegaard’s absence – which is a fantastic return considering they faced both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City away from home in that period.
Kai Havertz dropped into midfield and the likes of Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri filled in for him at times, but having Odegaard back will take Arsenal to another level as he adds some much-needed balance and creativity to their team.
Arsenal are competing on all fronts and the new season is under two months old, so they need to err on the side of caution with Odegaard’s fitness to ensure he doesn’t face any injury setbacks.
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