Mikel Arteta has utterly transformed Arsenal during his time in the hot seat.
When he took over, the Gunners were an aimless side drifting towards mid-table mediocrity, but five years later, they’re contesting their third Premier League title race on the bounce.
It’s not just through the Spaniard’s tactical nous, leadership and man management that he’s turned the North Londoners around, but also his recruitment.
Alongside Edu Gaspar, he’s overseen the signing of several sensational talents in recent years, such as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, but his best acquisition so far has been Martin Odegaard. However, in another world, it might not have even happened, as before the Norwegian joined on a permanent deal, the club were keen on another talented midfielder.
Odegaard's Arsenal career
Odegaard first joined Arsenal on a six-month loan from Real Madrid in January 2021, and while he didn’t blow the roof off the Emirates in those six months, in which he racked up four goals and assists in 20 appearances, he did enough to impress Arteta and Co, who proceeded to spend £30m on him that summer.
Since then, the 25-year-old has gone from strength to strength in North London, making a total of 156 appearances for the club, in which he has scored 35 goals and provided 25 assists, equating to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.6 games.
On top of producing a regular supply of goal involvements and doing things with the ball at his feet that few other players could even dream of, the Drammen-born maestro has become one of the core leaders of the team and was named club captain in July 2022 at just 23 years old.
Odegaard’s importance to the team has been made even more explicit this season, as following an injury he suffered on international duty in September, the Gunners have looked far less creative in games and have struggled to break down opposition sides in a way they didn’t last year.
Overall, it’s hard to imagine where Arsenal would be today without Odegaard, so it’s good that Arteta and Edu signed him over a talented England international they were interested in during the summer of 2021.
Arsenal's interest in James Maddison
Yes, the English midfielder in question is none other than Tottenham Hotspur co-vice-captain James Maddison.
However, two years before he joined the white side of North London, it was Arsenal who were most interested in his services, with a report from Sky Sports confirming that the Gunners were keen to sign him a few weeks before they eventually bought Odegaard.
With the Norwegian through the door, Arteta and Co understandably turned their attentions to other areas of the team, and the Leicester City star remained in the midlands for another two seasons, where, following the Foxes’ relegation in 22/23, he moved to N17 for a fee of around £40m.
However, while the “incredible” midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, had just scored ten goals and provided nine assists for a recently relegated team, he failed to have the same impact in North London and ended his debut season for the Lilywhites with a middling tally of four goals and nine assists in 28 league games.
In contrast, Arteta’s dynamic captain had just enjoyed another stellar season down the Seven Sisters Road, in which he scored eight goals and provided ten assists in 35 league games and came within just two points of lifting the title.
Appearances
28
Goals
4
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.46
In his defence, Maddison has looked bright in moments this season and has a haul of two goals and three assists in nine games, but he was also hooked at halftime against West Ham United and looked bereft of ideas in the defeat to Crystal Palace last week.
Ultimately, both midfielders are undeniably talented and can change games in a moment, but if you were to ask Arsenal fans if they’d rather have Odegaard at the club or Maddison, you’d be hard-pressed to find many who’d pick the latter.
The Norwegian has shown that he can do everything the Englishman can but also adds leadership and consistency to the mix, so it was a great decision from Arteta and Edu in 2021 to sign him over the Leicester star.
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