“I know Max Dowman is very good but another academy star I’m about unleach is what we’ve never seen in football history…He’s far ahead of Lamine Yamal and Estevao Willian”: Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta is ready to unleach another academy starlet who has what has never been seen in football history

Success is yet to arrive, but Mikel Arteta has built a squad full to bursting with incredible talent at Arsenal.

The Spaniard has turned what was a fallen giant struggling in mid-table into a side that will surely get over the line in the Premier League sooner rather than later.

When it comes to the best player in the squad, it’s hard to look past the talismanic Bukayo Saka, and while he had a poor season last year, club captain Martin Odegaard was starting to look back to his best before his MCL injury.

There are other match winners all over the pitch, though, and Arteta even has one youngster who could be described as something of a hybrid between the Englishman and Norwegian.

What makes Saka & Odegaard so special
What is it about Saka and Odegaard that makes them so special, and two of the best players in Arsenal’s squad?

Well, when it comes to the former, it really is multifaceted.

For example, his development at Hale End gives him a connection with the club and fans that few other players can match, and he marries that with an incredible willingness to improve and work rate.

On top of these brilliant foundations, the 24-year-old has also become a consistent scorer of goals and provider of assists over the last few years, so much so that he produced his 100th Premier League goal involvement on his 200th appearance in the competition last weekend.

Moreover, the Ealing-born monster has developed the ability to score all sorts of goals, from sensational far-post curlers to powerful drives off his weaker foot and even the odd tap-in off the back of a well-timed run.

The Emirates poster boy really is one of the most well-rounded attackers in the game and can be compared to any right-winger in Europe.

Odegaard, on the other hand, had an undeniably lacklustre campaign for the club last season, but with back-to-back Player of the Year awards in the two seasons before that, his ability cannot be denied.

The Norwegian is unlikely to ever be as prolific as Saka, but at his best, he is one of the most aesthetically pleasing midfielders to watch in world football.

He is someone who can collect the ball deep, beat an opposition player with a quick shimmy and then play the ball into space for his attackers to run onto and score.

This was what fans were seeing in his last two performances before, only for another knee injury to halt his momentum.

Overall, both Saka and Odegaard are sensational footballers, and it looks like Arsenal have someone who could develop into a hybrid of both.

Arsenal’s Saka & Odegaard hybrid

While this description could fit Max Dowman in a year or so, given his age and the limited time he’s spent with the first team, it’s difficult to predict what kind of player he could become in the future.

This is less true for Ethan Nwaneri, who made his debut for the first team over three years ago and put his stamp on things last season.

When it comes to the young Englishman, it’s quite easy to see the ways in which he emulates both Saka and Odegaard.

For example, when in the team last season, he spent most of the time on the right, covering for the former, doing well in the process.

In fact, in his 37 appearances, totalling just 1378 minutes, the Enfield-born monster managed to score nine goals and provide two assists, which works out to a goal involvement every 3.36 games, or more crucially, one every 125.27 minutes.

Moreover, a couple of the goals looked similar to Saka’s trademark far-post curlers.

The similarities to the club captain, on the other hand, are starting to show this season and will likely continue as the campaign progresses.

After all, while he did well on the wing, he is primarily a central player, and that is reportedly how the club view him.

On top of that, while the “phenomenal” prospect, as dubbed by former professional Stephen Warnock, hasn’t quite got the same weight of pass as the Norwegian just yet, he is improving.

Ultimately, while Nwaneri isn’t on the level of Saka or Odegaard at the moment, it’s easy to see parts of them in his game, and with time, he could well get there.