On January 22nd 2015, Real Madrid unveiled their latest signing in the winter transfer window. Martin Odegaard, aged just 16, had signed a 3-and-a-half-year deal with the La Liga side. Odegaard had caught the attention of several big clubs – Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City, from the Norwegian league. Playing for Stromsgodset, the young attacking midfielder had 5 goals and 6 assists to his name. He also made his debut for the Norway national team at the age of 15.
Martin Odegaard spent a year at the Castilla and then joined Dutch side SC Heerenveen on an 18-month loan spell. The midfielder had a successful stint, making 38 appearances and scoring 2 goals while creating 4 more.
Real Madrid then announced that the midfielder would join another Dutch side, SBV Vitesse. An enormously successful stint saw the Norwegian register 8 goals and 10 assists in 31 games. Odegaard still had no place under Zinedine Zidane, and instead joined Real Sociedad on loan.
He combined well with Alexander Isak and Mikel Oyarzabal to score 7 and create 9 goals in his lone season. This included a goal to knock out Los Blancos from the 2019-20 Copa del Rey. After returning from his loan spell at the Basque club, Real Madrid decided to retain Odegaard for the 2020-21 season, but he failed to register minutes.
In January, Arsenal signed the 22-year-old on a six-month loan deal to fill the void created by Mesut Ozil’s departure. His performances in 20 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions were enough to convince Edu to fork out €35 million to make the transfer permanent.
This season, the 23-year-old midfielder has made 24 appearances in all competitions, with 4 goals and 5 assists to his name. So, let’s analyse how does Martin Odegaard fit into Arteta’s plans, and what makes him so important for Arsenal.
Position:
The Norwegian has mainly been used in the play-maker role behind Lacazette or Aubameyang. In the absence of other players, Arteta has also deployed the former Sociedad man in central or wide midfield.
In possession, Odegaard predominantly plays in the right-half spaces. He looks to receive the ball from deeper areas and connect with Bukayo Saka and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the right flank. He can drop deeper to collect the ball, move wider as Saka cuts in or make runs behind the defence. The midfielder is mostly involved in build-ups in the opposition half, especially around the box.
His heat-map indicates that the Norwegian midfielder often starts in a central position, but can move deeper or wider according to the demands of the game.
Shooting and Creativity:
Martin Odegaard has never been a high-volume shooter. He has attempted 1.44 shots per 90 this season, well below his highest of 1.75 at Real Sociedad. His shots also often come from more difficult locations. He takes shots from an average distance of 21 yards, with an approximate value of just 0.08 xG per shot.
He has taken the 5th most shots among Arsenal players this season but has been the second-best finisher. Usually, the ex-Real Madrid man is a little hesitant to go for goal. Cutting onto his preferred left foot, Odegaard often takes the safer route instead of having a crack at goal.
He remains one of Arsenal’s best creators. He averages an xA of 0.24 per 90. Nicolas Pepe is the only player with a minimum of 500 minutes to have a better output. Odegaard also creates over 2 key passes every game, has completed the most through balls and second most shot-creating actions in the squad.
Passing and Progressions:
Odegaard averages 51 pass attempts every 90 minutes. He is also adept at carrying the ball forward. The 23-year-old however, is dribbling far less than he ever has in his career. Odegaard averages 1.05 dribble attempts every 90 minutes with a success rate of 50%. In comparison, he attempted 3.35 dribbles every 90 minutes with a better success rate at Real Sociedad.
The midfielder usually tends to drop deeper to provide an additional man during build-ups. He also drifts wide at times to help Arsenal play around a low-block effectively. Odegaard’s touches are largely distributed in the middle or attacking third.
This is down to a change in how opponents set up against Arsenal. Against Real Sociedad, teams were more aggressive in the middle third as compared to the extremes. Teams generally play a lower block against Arsenal in the Premier League. This meant Odegaard often found space to attack the defenders directly in Spain.
In England, he often receives the ball in front of the defence and hence opts for the safer option.
Odegaard remains one of Arsenal’s most impressive progressors. He offers a more balanced option than the midfielders or wingers. He provides an option either as the ball-carrier or as a distributor effectively.
Next, we scan the same players for the area of involvement. Odegaard has been effective in both, progressions from deeper areas and progressions in the final third. So while the Norwegian doesn’t take a high volume of shots, he is crucial to Arsenal’s build-up play across all phases.
Defensive Actions:
Odegaard is one of the hardest workers under Mikel Arteta. The midfielder averages 18.5 pressures per 90, just short of Lacazette’s 18.6. Odegaard isn’t particularly a great defender though. He wins less than one tackle and affects less than one interception every 90 minutes. He also wins exactly 50% of all his aerial duels.
However, defending in a deep role is not what Arteta expects of Odegaard. He often presses as a pseudo-centre-forward higher up the field. This helps the Gunners to exert more pressure on the opposition back-line and force a mistake or a long pass. Odegaard often covers the space abandoned by Lacazette while pressing. This prevents build-up from the central regions. If the opponents look to build down the wings, Martinelli or Saka will be well-positioned to apply pressure.
As opponents progress the ball, however, Odegaard drops deeper into the midfield to form a more compact 4-5-1 shape. This allows very little space for opponents to build centrally. They are forced into the wider areas, where Tomiyasu and Tierney are composed in 1v1 situations. Furthermore, the near side winger can also drop deeper to create 2v1 advantages and out-number the opposition winger. Odegaard’s position slightly ahead of the double pivot also helps Arsenal to generate counter-attacks after regaining the ball.
Read More:
- Where Does William Saliba Fit in Into Mikel Arteta’s Team?
- Arsenal Looking to Sign Middlesbrough Right-back as Arteta Wants the Player as a Cover for Tomiyasu
- Five Underrated Midfield Players Arsenal Can Target In The Summer Transfer Window
Overview:
Martin Odegaard has been a fantastic acquisition for Mikel Arteta’s side. The 23-year-old is actively involved all over the field. He has been a reliable source of creation, useful in ball retention and an asset off the ball too. Arsenal will be glad they spent €35 million to make his signing. With Lacazette poised to leave, Odegaard could undertake more goal-scoring responsibilities in the future too.
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