After shaking off injury woes and finding his spark at the World Cup, a rejuvenated captain looks set to reclaim his throne at the heart of Arsenal's midfield.
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Martin Odegaard will be the first person to admit his 2025/26 campaign was incredibly underwhelming. Despite leading Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2003/04 and a first Champions League final since 2006, his performances on an individual level were nowhere near what he would have been hoping for in an otherwise seismic campaign for Arsenal Football Club.
Odegaard picked up an ankle injury on international break for Norway last season, and upon his return, never looked like the left-footed magician of old. Slow, lacklustre and poor passing on a number of occasions meant Arsenal fans were slowly starting to wonder whether the captain had a future at the club. The 27 year-old managed 36 appearances in all competitions, managing just the singular goal and 8 assists in all competitions. An incredibly poor return by his standards.
So what can Arteta and Arsenal expect from the Norwegian this season? In Solebakken’s historic summer with the national team at the World Cup, Odegaard looked like a different man. Starting in all 5 of Norway’s fixtures, he managed 4 assists, joint second in the assist rankings, only behind Michael Olise of France who ended the campaign with 7 assists. But, it was not just the numbers that impressed this summer. His ball progression, carrying and passing all looked so sharp and to the eye, it looked like he was just enjoying playing football again.
The recent 3-0 Community Shield Final victory over Manchester City proved that he is set to bring this form into the 2026/27 season. A simply superb performance by the club captain, saw him end the game with just over 80 minutes in the tank and an extremely well taken goal, as well as the trophy firmly in his grasp. One noticeably interesting thing was the fact that he looked further up the pitch against Enzo Maresca’s side. Rather than sideways, intricate passes in the right hand of the pitch, he looked to take on defenders, slide balls in behind and combine beautifully with Christos Tzolis and Bukayo Saka, really taking the game to the opposition as a number 10 often should.
Martin Odegaard celebrates with Kai Havertz as he puts Arsenal 3-0 up in the Community Shield Final against Manchester City (Reuters)
Martin Odegaard celebrates with Kai Havertz as he puts Arsenal 3-0 up in the Community Shield Final against Manchester City (Reuters)
There is no doubt about his leadership qualities, but the exciting thing for Arteta and fans alike, is the fact that he looks like he is playing with so much more confidence than he had been in recent months. The goal against Manchester City was evidence of that. If he is able to keep this level up all season, there is no reason why he cannot eclipse his season from 2022/23 in which he registered 15 goals and 7 assists in 37 Premier League appearances. The new signings of Christos Tzolis who already assisted the captain in the Community Shield Final and Bruno Guimaraes has only added more quality to the side, and will only benefit him further.
There is no doubt about his class and on-the-ball qualities, but his season rests largely on whether he can stay fit and confident. If he can, he could be set for his best campaign to date in an Arsenal shirt, to which he is already showing signs that this could be the case.
Arsenal kickstart their Premier League campaign tonight against Coventry City at Emirates Stadium, and with the Norwegian set to start the fixture in the number 10 role, he will be hoping he can start his season as he means to go on.