Arsenal’s form hasn’t been at an acceptable level in recent times.
The Gunners’ grip on the title race has loosened, while they’re out of the FA Cup too.
Martin Odegaard’s form has become a major talking point in recent weeks, and Jermaine Jenas has now shared his verdict on the Norwegian’s recent performances.
Martin Odegaard has been central to Mikel Arteta’s system for several seasons, but this campaign has been more inconsistent. Injuries have disrupted his rhythm, and his influence in key moments has not always matched expectations. That has led to growing scrutiny, particularly with other attacking options emerging.
If Arsenal were to sell Martin Odegaard how much money would you want for him?
Jermaine Jenas shares verdict on Martin Odegaard criticism
Jenas believes the criticism Odegaard has been getting recently is justified.
The pundit says he agrees with a lot of what has been said about the £30m man, particularly throughout this week.
In fact, Jenas went as far as to admit that he would start Eberechi Eze over Odegaard right now.
“I saw that, you know, Martin Odegaard’s taking a bit of a battering this week for, you know, what he’s been delivering all season,” Jenas said.
“I have to agree a little bit on that.”
“I think I would always, I will start Eze over him all day long right now.”
Eze’s form has been strong, and his direct style offers something different to Odegaard’s more controlled approach. Choosing between the two is becoming a genuine selection dilemma.
That said, it would be an incredibly gutsy move from Mikel Arteta to drop his captain at this point of the season.
Of course, there are plenty of leaders within the Arsenal team such as Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes, but, still, the optics of dropping your captain at this crucial stage are strange.
This is a difficult situation for Mikel Arteta to manage, and it will be intriguing to see how the Arsenal manager navigates this situation in the coming weeks.
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