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Martin Ødegaard is Crashing the Box More, and Arsenal Are Reaping the Rewards

Martin Ødegaard is getting into more advanced positions and scoring more goals. When he is playing like this, it‘s easy to wonder if anyone can stop Arsenal.

As Christos Tzolis cut in from the left flank and drove towards the penalty area, Kai Havertz could see history repeating itself.

On his competitive debut for Arsenal against Manchester City in the Community Shield only a few weeks earlier, Tzolis had done just the same, running at his opposition full-back, cutting inside and driving at goal, before then fizzing a ball towards the penalty spot.

Martin Odegaard goal vs Man City, Community Shield

Martin Ødegaard was the grateful recipient, arriving just behind Havertz to take the ball smoothly into his path. He then faked a shot to send goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way before passing into the empty net.

And with the scores still level early in the second half of Arsenal’s win over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, Tzolis did something very, very similar.

This time, his pass was intended for Havertz, but it was played ever so slightly behind the German. But Havertz had watched this before. He knew that Ødegaard, upon seeing Tzolis cut in, would have tiptoed into the penalty area himself.

Martin Odegaard goal vs Chelsea, Premier League

Havertz then produced a moment of genius to turn Tzolis’ slightly misplaced pass into a perfect assist, lifting his foot over the ball to leave it for his captain. Ødegaard again took the ball under his control with one touch, before this time lifting the ball over Emiliano Martínez to put Arsenal into a lead they would not surrender.

Ødegaard getting into more advanced positions has been an early theme of this season. He already has three goals in four appearances across all competitions in 2026-27, after netting just once in 36 outings last season.

There has clearly been a conscious effort from Mikel Arteta and his staff to get their fit-again midfielder into attacking areas more consistently. In Premier League games this season (so, not including the Community Shield and that above run that led to his goal), Ødegaard is making 3.2 high-intensity runs per 90 into the opposition’s box while Arsenal have possession, up from just 1.4 per 90 last term.

It’s only a small sample size from this season, but the fact that his numbers have more than doubled makes it significant nonetheless. And most importantly, his goal threat has clearly skyrocketed.

Martin Odegaard runs into penalty area, Premier League 2026-27

Similarly, he has made seven off-ball runs to make himself a cross option for a teammate in just three Premier League games this season, already almost matching his tally from the whole of last season (10). On a per-90 basis, that’s 0.65 to 2.8, or more than a fourfold increase. One of those runs led to his goal in the season-opener against Coventry.

After an injury-disrupted couple of years, it appears as though the far-from linear rise of the 27-year-old has taken a steep, upwards turn for the better. And for an Arsenal team looking imperious so far this season, that is a very positive sign indeed.

Their captain played his part in their 2025-26 title triumph, but he probably feels more driven than most at the club to repeat the trick. He missed a big chunk of the season with a series of recurring knee injuries, and when he was available, he was only sparingly used.

He played just 1,371 of a possible 3,420 minutes in the league – a scratch over 40.0% – and although he was available for the run-in, playing in key games as the season came to a close and in Arsenal’s run to the Champions League final, he was a long way from the key man he has been for the club ever since his permanent move to London in the summer of 2021.

Back then, Arsenal were signing a hugely talented number 10, but over the years, Ødegaard has developed into more of a number eight, a rounded midfielder who drops deep to get on the ball in front of the opposition’s midfield and moves it around the pitch.

But the evidence this season suggests that we should expect to see him getting closer to Havertz more often (while also continuing to do the job of a number eight). The German isn’t the most reliable goalscorer, but he is an excellent and intelligent centre-forward who does more of a false-nine role, and he needs more runners ahead of him than Viktor Gyökeres.

It appears this season that Arteta is going to prefer using Havertz up front, which will only increase the need for Ødegaard to score more consistently. After the start he’s made, the Norwegian should at the very least challenge his season-best 15 goals in all competitions from 2022-23. His runs deep into opposition territory are only going to help; he is averaging 5.6 high-intensity runs ahead of the ball per 90 this season, up from 3.9 last term.

It certainly helps that he is fit again, and he seems to have benefitted from this summer’s World Cup, having missed so much of last season, where he played a key role in Norway’s run to the quarter-finals. Only Michael Olise (seven) got more assists at the tournament than Ødegaard (four).

MArtin Odegaard World Cup 2026 assists

There is pressure on him at club level, though. Eberechi Eze is breathing down his neck after standing in for him for large swathes of last term, though Arteta clearly prefers Ødegaard in the middle of the park, perhaps for his defensive work, positioning and ability to coach Arsenal’s press on the pitch.

But there is just as much pressure on him to stay fit this season. He started 32, 37 and 35 of a possible 38 Premier League games in his first three full seasons in London, but has managed 26 and then just 16 in the last two.

He needs to prove he can stay fit, because not only are Arsenal better with him, but he is more likely to maintain his best form that way. He can play a full season, and this is the time to prove it.

Martin Odegaard career availability

Ødegaard is showing his best in the early part of 2026-27. He is, along with Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers, one of only two players with at least 1.0 expected goals and 1.0 expected assists in the Premier League, highlighting his all-round attacking game.

Only seven players have played a role in more open-play shot-ending sequences than him (20), and he also leads the Premier League for the number of such sequences where he both took the shot and was involved in the build-up (four).

Premier League attacking sequence involvement leaders 2026-27

It helps that Arsenal look like a very functional team, and have benefitted from limited changes in personnel over the summer.

But how much is that functionality a cause of Ødegaard’s form and how much is it a result? His time at the club has almost entirely coincided with Arsenal’s sustained challenges for the Premier League title, and that is surely no coincidence.

Ødegaard is looking back to his best and then some, and that is ominous news for the rest of the Premier League.

Premier League Opta Stats

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