While Martin Odegaard is not Arsenal’s top scorer, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both surpassing his 10 goals, the Norwegian captain is undoubtedly the team’s most influential player.
Martin Odegaard’s offensive numbers are impressive (compiled before the game v Leeds United): he ranks seventh in the Premier League for goal participation (16), fourth for scoring chances created (62), second for passes into the area (76), and fifth for shots taken (76).
However, his defensive contributions are even more surprising.
According to Opta, the former Real Madrid and Real Sociedad player has the highest number of ball recoveries in the last third of the pitch across the five major European leagues.
Odegaard leads the rankings with 40 recoveries, followed by Zambo Anguissa (Napoli/31), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern/31), Jack Harrison (Leeds/30), and Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City/29).
40 – Martin Ødegaard has regained possession of the ball in the final third more times than any other player in Europe's top five leagues this season:
40 – Martin Ødegaard
31 – André-Frank Zambo Anguissa
31 – Joshua Kimmich
30 – Jack Harrison
29 – Kevin De BruyneIncessant. pic.twitter.com/dy7iYBLUR6
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 29, 2023
Arteta has lauded Odegaard’s defensive work, calling it “phenomenal.”
The player himself acknowledges his improvement in this area, stating, “In all the teams I’ve been in, I’ve always been among the players who have run the most.
“It is possible that I have improved a little more in defence. I recover more balls, I am stronger, and I run further back than people realise.”
Odegaard’s commitment to both offence and defence has undoubtedly made him an integral part of Arsenal’s success this season.