Many Arsenal fans who made the short trip to Brentford on Friday night left long before the final.
Their team’s 2-0 loss to the newly defeated Bees represented a terrible start to the season. What was even more worrying than the defeat itself was the depressing predictability of the outcome.
A deal for Odegaard has finally been agreed – some good news for Arsenal fans! ?
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) August 18, 2021
Brentford’s routine win was a reminder – as if we needed one more – of how far Arsenal’s star has fallen in recent years. They missed European football for the first time in 25 years last season and it would take a minor miracle for them to bother the top four this time.
Even a top-seven finish is far from certain with Leicester and Tottenham looking much better and a number of hunting teams also trying to sneak into the Europa Conference League.
There were few positive things to take from the Brentford game for Arsenal. New signing Ben White was wiped out by Ivan Toney in the air and won just three of his seven flying duels. Calum Chambers was similarly scratched in the right-back position, while Folarin Balogun performed as a young child who ended up in an impossible situation. It is really to be expected, with the 20-year-old starting due to the absence of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Perhaps the brightest spark in Gunnar’s start -XI was Emile Smith Rowe, who performed bravely in an advanced midfield. He made three progressive draws, had four touches in the opposition area and misplaced just two of his passes throughout the game. It was a continuation of last season where Smith Rowe constantly showed flashes of his soaring potential.
With this in mind, signing an extra attacking midfielder may not seem like a priority. However, the 21-year-old is far from the complete package and does not yet have the decision-making and end product required at the top level.
In addition to ‘Croydon De Bruyne’, Arsenal are easily looking for creativity in key areas due to the recent departures of Mesut Özil and Dani Ceballo.
These conditions have driven their hunt for the likes of Emiliano Buendia, James Maddison and Philippe Coutinho this summer. In the end, however, the under-fire Mikel Arteta chose to make a move for Martin Odegaard this summer.
Smith Rowe did well against Brentford / Eddie Keogh / Getty Images
Despite being only 22 years old, the Norwegian has had an exciting career and ended up in headlines around the world when Real Madrid spent a lot of money signing him as a teenager. Since then, he has impressed under a string on a loan, especially with Real Sociedad during the 2019/20 season.
His performances for La Real indicated that he may be ready to step up to Los Blanco’s first team, but despite his desire to stay and fight for his place, it was difficult to get playing time. After a half-season loan book last campaign, Odegaard has now almost all officially signed for Arsenal on a permanent basis.
This is a dose of much-needed good news for Gunners’ faithful.
Odegaard may not have been insanely productive last season, but he was very promising and should help alleviate some of Arsenal’s creativity problems immediately. He is brave and always wants the ball. He often picked up dangerous positions between the lines, only six players got more passes per 90 minutes than he did in the Premier League last season.
Once he has the ball, he is positive. During his time at Arsenal, he averaged over five progressive passes per game, more than James Maddison – another much more expensive transfer target – recorded. He also ranked high for shot assists, with only seven Premier League players averaging more per 90 minutes last semester.
Odegaard showed glimpses of real promises last season / Pool / Getty Images
This combination of desire and creativity can prove to be a deadly combination, especially when Aubameyang, Lacazette and Bukayo Saka are back and running in behind the opposition’s backline.
There is even room for Odegaard to be distributed alongside the exciting Smith Rowe this season. The latter prefers to operate in deeper areas, touching the ball only 21 times in the opposing area during his loan period. At the same time, Smith Rowe is likely to break into the box and has experience as part of a front line.
The pair also tend to operate in different sideways areas. Smith Rowe is mostly at home in the left half while Odegaard likes to wander around on the right. If Arteta would like, it should not be a problem to build a system where both players can thrive without getting in each other’s way.
Although Odegaard’s arrival should not mark the end of Arsenal’s mini-rebuild – offers for Aaron Ramsdale and another forward if Aubameyang resigns are likely – it’s a much-needed boost to morale. He does not only represent sky-high potential either. Odegaard has the competence to help Arsenal significantly directly.
