Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has had a terrific start to the new season.
The Norway international has had a difficult couple of years due to injuries, so much so that many people wrote him off. Some Arsenal fans even wanted Odegaard to be sold in the summer.
However, the skipper has proved many of his doubters wrong by starting the campaign on fire. He has scored four goals in seven starts, including crucial strikes against Manchester City, Chelsea and Napoli.
Everyone is impressed with Odegaard, including former Arsenal target Jamie Vardy, who has given him a new nickname.
A graphic of Arsenal's squad depth for the 2026/27 season
Credit: TalkingPoints by GRV Media
Jamie Vardy calls Martin Odegaard Arsenal’s ‘puppet master’
Jamie Vardy knows how important a good attacking midfielder is for a striker.
The Englishman, on his day, was unstoppable during his prime at Leicester City, and he relied on through balls being played in behind by the midfielders to score most of his goals.
Martin Odegaard doesn’t have a rapid striker in front of him, but he has still been sensational in the number 10 role for Arsenal since the start of this season. He has comfortably been their best player.
Vardy has been really impressed by what he has seen so far and has raved about the Gunners skipper. He even branded him the ‘puppet master’, because he pulls the strings for the champions.
He said on his podcast: “He’s a great player. I think he had an injury which set him back a bit. But what you see is what you get.
“He’s like the puppet master, isn’t he? He just gets the strings out, starts playing everyone else and just feeding all the passes.
“It’d be unbelievable to have somebody like that behind you. He’s always looking for that killer ball for a striker, or just his little touches in positions that cause the opposition problems.”
A striker like Jamie Vardy would elevate Martin Odegaard at Arsenal
Arsenal have Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres up front, and the two strikers have their own unique qualities that make them special.
However, neither player is a rapid runner in behind like Vardy or Erling Haaland, which is something every playmaker needs, especially someone like Odegaard.
Vardy in his prime would’ve been perfect for this Arsenal side, and he is the type of striker who the Gunners should be looking at in the January transfer window.
There aren’t many in the game of that ilk anymore, but finding such players is what Andrea Berta has been brought in to do. Hopefully, he does it at the turn of the year.