Paul Scholes has a real problem with what Martin Odegaard has been doing with Arsenal recently

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Arsenal’s recent form hasn’t been great, it has to be said.

Indeed, Arsenal have lost four big games in recent times, including two in the league that have turned the tide of the title race.

Of course, there’s been a lot of finger-pointing in this time, Viktor Gyokeres has been criticised, Ben White has been under fire, while Noni Madueke hasn’t been good enough either.

Speaking on The Overlap, Paul Scholes has now identified an issue with Martin Odegaard, claiming that the Norwegian’s positional sense seems to be off.

If Arsenal were to sell Martin Odegaard how much money would you want for him?

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Paul Scholes’ Martin Odegaard problem

Scholes highlighted his issue with Odegaard when speaking about Arsenal.

The pundit claimed that Odegaard should be playing a role where he connects the midfield to the attack, but, instead, in recent weeks, Odegaard has been dropping too deep to the point he almost finds himself behind Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice.

“Odegaard connects your midfield to your forward play, and you wonder why there’s no flow in your team.

“When he’s behind Zubamendi, he’s behind Declan Rice. How can you get connections there?

“Now, I also think the Saka not being there is a problem, because I think Odegaard does connect well with Saka. Once he gets in them positions, behind the midfield, then Saka’s off and running.

“Now, I don’t think he’ll have quite that connection with Gyokeres, because he’s not that type of player.

“Possibly with Havertz he could have it. So if I’m a central midfielder player for Arsenal, actually, yeah, I don’t want you to. You’re not needed in between, but you’ve got to be there, so that I can then progress the ball up the pitch to you, especially because you’ve got great ability to almost play the David Silva kind of way that he connects in Manchester City’s midfield to the attacking play. Stay there.”

Martin Odegaard’s future is uncertain

Odegaard’s future now feels less certain than it did even a few months ago.

With two years left on his contract, Arsenal are approaching a point where a clear decision has to be made.

Do they continue building around him as captain, or do they start shifting towards the next phase with younger options emerging in his position?

Let’s be honest, the Norwegian’s output has greatly declined, and there have been reports that Odegaard could be sold this summer.

The presence of players like Eberechi Eze and Max Dowman increases that pressure, especially if performances and tactical questions continue to surface.

Captaincy doubts only add another layer to the situation, as leadership is just as important as output in a team chasing major honours.

Mikel Arteta has been ruthless in other areas of the squad – just ask Aaron Ramsdale about that, and this could become another example of that approach.

If Odegaard cannot fully convince in his role, both positionally and as a leader, the club may be forced to consider a future that does not revolve around him.