100G/A IN U21: Arsenal have found a perfect replacement for Martin Odegaard from academy and he’s ready for official debut this weekend
Arsenal supporters, alongside Mikel Arteta in unison, all spend the international break the same way; praying all the players return to London Colney injury-free.
This desperation has been exacerbated further by the fact that Martin Ødegaard suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee against West Ham last weekend.
The Norwegian midfielder had been back to his dazzling best against Olympiacos three days earlier – supplying Bukayo Saka’s goal – but will now spend at least a few weeks on the sidelines, which could be a significant blow for the Premier League leaders.
So, which player should Arteta deploy in Ødegaard’s absence, and why could he be the man to get the best out of Arsenal’s most high-profile summer signing, Viktor Gyökeres?
Viktor Gyökeres’ Arsenal form in numbers
Having arrived from Sporting Clube de Portugal for around £65m, one of the club’s biggest-ever outlays, scoring a whopping 97 goals in just 102 appearances for the Lisbon-based giants, sky-high expectations were placed on Gyokeres.
The widely accepted narrative was that all Arsenal needed to get to the next level is a top-class number nine, something they arguably have not had since the days of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Well, so far, in ten appearances, Gyökeres has scored just three times for the Gunners, bagging a brace during his home Premier League debut against Leeds, before also netting when Nottingham Forest visited North London.
However, the Sweden international has also missed four Opta-defined big chances in the Premier League, as well as three in the Champions League, evidence to the zeitgeist that he probably should have scored more goals.
Nevertheless, Gyökeres is a player who needs service to thrive, underlined by the fact that, of all Arsenal outfield players to have completed 90 minutes this season, he averages the lowest touches-per-90 at just 24.1.
Between this international break and the next, Arsenal’s four Premier League fixtures are against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sunderland, so many will be expecting Gyökeres to rack up the goals, but which teammate can help get the best out of him?
Arsenal’s sensational creator can get Gyokeres firing
In their most recent outing against West Ham, Arteta did what many were calling for by deploying Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze alongside each other for the very first time, both in a central role.
This experiment was short-lived, but came a week after Eze had got the nod through the middle at Newcastle, when many had believed Arteta would go for the more defensively solid trio of Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, as he had at Anfield.
Now with Ødegaard set for a spell in the treatment room, Eze has to be given the keys to this team, made a central figure with the Gunners likely to be tasked with breaking down a low block on a tri-weekly basis, a challenge that often proves to be their kryptonite.
When he signed for the club in August, Sporting Director Andrea Berta labelled the England international “creative and explosive”, while Arteta described him as “powerful and exciting”, noting that he “will give us a new dimension in our attacking game”.
Meantime, speaking on talkSPORT, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish called his former star player “sensational”, praising both his quality on the pitch as well as character and dedication.
Well, since making the move from South London to North, Eze has already shown his quality, scoring his first goal for the Gunners during last month’s EFL Cup tie at Port Vale.
The statistics below also give a sense of what Eze has added to his new team.
As outlined, despite limited minutes, Eze has instantaneously established himself as a creative force in this Arsenal team.
No player averages more shots on target on a per-90 basis, while he also ranks highly in terms of chance creation and dribbling.
At Crystal Palace last season, he created 11 big chances in the Premier League, while his ability in this department has been best showcased in Arsenal colours so far by his jaw-dropping assists for Gabriel Martinelli’s goal to salvage a draw against Manchester City.
This pass underlines exactly how he can get the best out of Gyökeres. The Swede thrives when he has open space to run into, his first goal against Leeds Exhibit A in that regard, but teammates have often been hesitant to play the early pass, as they are still adapting to having that sort of striker transplanted into the team.
Well, Eze, a new arrival himself of course, appears best-equipped to provide Gyökeres with the services he requires.
At Craven Cottage on Saturday, Eze needs to be utilised high and centrally, getting as close to Gyökeres as possible, because getting the best out of both will be key to Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes.
