Despite Arsenal’s lethargy at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the season, captain Martin Odegaard did look lively.
Perhaps Martin Odegaard could have done better with his final pass, but the Arsenal midfielder was driving his side forward, and he played like a leader.
Of course, following Ethan Nwaneri’s new Arsenal contract, there’s more pressure than ever on Odegaard’s starting spot.
And whilst Mikel Arteta is probably a long way from ever dropping his captain, he’ll be aware that Nwaneri deserves chances too.
But with a starting midfield of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Odegaard, Arsenal look extremely well set for the season ahead.
Martin Odegaard has already been impressed by Martin Zubimendi at Arsenal
That being said, Odegaard has now spoken about Zubimendi’s arrival on the ‘Men In Blazers’ podcast.
Zubimendi was close to signing for Liverpool last summer, but Arsenal ultimately persuaded the Spaniard to choose north London.
Martin Zubimendi during a pre-season friendly for Arsenal.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
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And asked about how Zubimendi will change Arsenal’s game, Odegaard replied: “He’s been really good in pre-season and I’ve played a little bit with him before in Spain, you know, so I knew his qualities.
“A top player, as you say, he can find any pass, you know, he can break the lines, he can drive with the ball.
“He’s also so smart, you know, intelligent to read where the ball is going to land and he picks up a lot of second balls.
“He really controls the game, it’s going to give us a new dimension there, so yeah, excited for it.”
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4U0Mwjm5SgfxePn0NLyxhS?si=fa8caa3fb79a4fde
Martin Zubimendi played through illness against Manchester United
As mentioned, Arsenal weren’t at their best at Old Trafford, but Zubimendi did still deliver an authoritative performance in the middle.
Remarkably, journalist Sami Mokbel has now reported that Zubimendi was recovering from a serious sickness bug last week before the United game.
It speaks volumes that Zubimendi was ‘desperate’ to play, and that’s exactly why Arteta put so much effort into signing the Spain international.
Arteta praised Zubimendi after full-time at Old Trafford, and it’s already obvious that the 26-year-old will be one of the signings of the season for Arsenal.
There’s plenty of reason to be excited about Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival too, but Arsenal have signed one of the best midfielders in Europe in the shape of Zubimendi.