Arsenal struck gold on “sensational” ace who’s a £125m star within the making

It is perhaps a cliché, however over the previous few years or so, Arsenal have been on a fairly exceptional journey from mid-table strugglers to the most effective groups within the nation.

The Gunners might effectively have seemed lacklustre within the final month or so, however underneath Mikel Arteta’s premiership, they’ve challenged for the Premier League in back-to-back campaigns, and so they might effectively achieve this for a 3rd if issues go their means within the coming weeks.

Now, a big a part of the North Londoners’ rejuvenation is undoubtedly all the way down to Arteta’s tactical brilliance and management qualities, however equally essential have been the signings he is made.

The likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Magalhaes have all performed important roles in the previous few years, however there was one addition made simply over three years in the past who has been totally transformational and will now be price a small fortune.

Arsenal’s 2021 summer time signings

So, the participant in query formally put pen to paper on a long-term take care of Arsenal in the summertime of 2021, however earlier than we discuss him, let’s look at just a few different additions made in that switch window, beginning with Ben White.

The Englishman joined the Gunners from fellow Premier League aspect Brighton & Hove Albion for a whopping £50m that July.

Whereas there have been loads of detractors on the time, it could be onerous to explain the transfer as something apart from a roaring success.

In his first season with the membership, the Poole-born ace virtually solely performed within the centre-back place, however upon the introduction of William Saliba the next summer time, he moved to right-back, the place he stays a key member of the workforce in the present day, 146 appearances later – he additionally netted the membership’s 10000th aim final season.

The membership signed one other versatile defender that very same summer time, splashing £15.5m on Bologna’s Japanese worldwide Takehiro Tomiyasu, though issues haven’t gone fairly as effectively for the 26-year-old since.

Now, that’s not all the way down to his means, because the membership have been delighted to hand him a brand new contract over the summer time, however as an alternative, his health, as since becoming a member of the Gunners, he is missed 62 video games for membership and nation and is at present out of motion with a knee motion.

Nonetheless, the Fukuoka-born ace has not been the one 2021 arrival to endure from damage issues this season, though his fellow summer time arrival is now again within the workforce, justifying his comparisons to a few of the finest gamers on the earth and the potential mammoth price ticket that comes with these comparisons.

The Arsenal star who could possibly be price a fortune

Okay, so with two 2021 additions already accounted for, and the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Albert Sambi Lokonga now not on the membership, it is in all probability not a shock that the participant in query is none apart from Martin Odegaard.

The midfield maestro might have joined the membership on mortgage in January 2021, however it wasn’t till August that the membership opted to spend £30m to make his transfer everlasting, and what a choice that was.

In 159 appearances, the Drammen-born dynamo has racked up a significantly spectacular haul of 35 targets and 27 assists, equating to a median of a aim involvement each 2.56 video games.

Nonetheless, it isn’t simply his output that makes the “sensational” Norwegian star, as dubbed by The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, such an important member of the workforce; he is additionally an unimaginable chief, captaining his nationwide workforce and being handed the armband by Arteta in 2022, regardless of being simply 23 years outdated on the time.

In brief, the previous Actual Madrid gem has turn out to be an important member of this Arsenal aspect in numerous methods, and as such, has gained comparisons to a few of the finest gamers on the earth, together with final season’s PFA Participant of the Yr, Phil Foden.

The comparability stems from FBref, which compares gamers in related positions throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates an inventory of the ten most comparable gamers for each, and on this occasion, has concluded that the Englishman is the primary most related midfielder to the Gunners star.

Now, to get a greater thought of how this conclusion was reached, we are able to look at the underlying metrics through which the pair ranks most intently, metrics together with however not restricted to progressive carries, non-penalty anticipated targets, photographs heading in the right direction, passes into the penalty space and extra, all per 90.

Comparisons to such an outstanding participant must be celebrated in their very own proper, however there could possibly be extra causes for the board to be blissful, as if the 2 midfielders are positionally and statistically related, whereas additionally being only a 12 months aside age-wise, ought to they not be valued equally?

Arteta and Co will definitely hope so, as Transfermarkt values the Metropolis star at an eye-watering €150m, which converts to round £125m.

So, whereas he would not have that valuation in the present day, it would not be farfetched to say that in Odegaard, Arsenal have an unimaginable £125m celebrity within the making.

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