WhileOdegaard’s statistics have hardly caught the eye in 2025-26, others have been stepping up in that department. Leandro Trossard has proved to be a useful asset for the Gunners, with a study fromBally Bet - which compares current market valuations with on-pitch output - calculating that each of his 12 goal contributions “costs” around £1,450,000 - placing him sixth on that 'value for money' Premier League chart.
Arsenal will hope to see their skipper rise up those rankings again in the not too distant future, as he prepares to hoist a first top-flight title in 22 years aloft. Odegaard has come a long way from humble beginnings, with Riise adding on how much credit his compatriot deserves for working throughsome testing times - especially at Real Madrid: “I won't criticise his choice when he was young because he did what he felt was right at that time.
“But he really did the right choice when he went on loan. The loan club he went to was the right one. He took a step, got playing time. I think he was unbelievable when he was at Sociedad, and then he went to Arsenal. I think he's been amazing for Arsenal.
“The only thing people criticise him for is because he's the one everybody looks at to dominate the game. If he doesn't dominate the game, people think, ‘Oh, he's sh*t’. But we talk about the Premier League here and you can't really expect a player with his playing style to dominate every game. You have to understand, he gets man-marked some games, which opens space for other players to do stuff. So, look behind the results sometimes.
“But I think Odegaard is unbelievable and has been amazing. I think before he was accused of being a bit boring because he was always playing the ball backwards, sideways, backwards, sideways. Now he's taking the ball, going against defenders, midfielders, playing forward, link-up play, one-twos, backheels, scoring goals, creating goals in the box. Now he's very important for Arsenal.”