Ian Wright says rivals now ‘targeting’ one ‘integral’ Arsenal star, it’s not Saka

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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has spotted that Premier League teams are now targeting Martin Odegaard.

Martin Odegaard looked to be back to his best as Arsenal beat Wolves 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The club captain got on the scoresheet and was a creative force for the north London club.

As per WhoScored statistics, the Norwegian playmaker produced six key passes against Wolves, and was unfortunate not to get two assists, as both Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah spurned very presentable chances that he had created for them.

Mikel Arteta will have been delighted to see Odegaard firing on all cylinders once again. The 24-year-old has had some fitness concerns this season, and has struggled for form at times in recent weeks. 

Odegaard is simply too important to the Gunners for them to cope without him being at his best for long. He is a leader on the pitch, orchestrates the press, and pulls the creative strings in midfield, carving out opportunities for the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus to take advantage of.

Martin Odegaard identified as key Arsenal threat

One of the reasons Odegaard was able to shine against Wolves is that he managed to find some space against Gary O’Neil’s side. Often this season, opposition teams have gone to great lengths to suffocate Odegaard whenever he is on the ball.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has spotted this trend. Speaking to Premier League Productions (02/12/2023, 17:15), he said, “what has happened is that teams are rightly targeting Odegaard because of how good he is for us and how integral he is in passing through the lines and keeping it moving for us.”

“Teams are making sure they are getting someone close to him or doubling up on him. What he has shown, and he has shown it recently, is if he has time and space, then he will hurt you.”

Odegaard is not the only Arsenal player to be singled out in such a manner this season. Bukayo Saka is also regularly doubled-up on by opposition defenders. The winger has spoken out publicly about the additional challenge that this extra attention poses him.

Odegaard will have to get used to the fact that he is a marked man on the pitch. It is not necessarily bad news for Arsenal though if the former Real Madrid man is attracting defenders his way. The more men that opposition teams commit to nullifying Odegaard and Saka means that more space will appear elsewhere on the pitch for the likes of Martinelli, Jesus, and Kai Havertz, amongst others, to exploit.

Arteta needs to ensure that his side are always able to find attacking solutions whenever they find that a couple of their key players are being crowded out of a match. If Arsenal can nail this then they will become as good as unstoppable in the final third.