Mikel Arteta is actively stopping Arsenal star from achieving his individual objective this season

Add as preferred source on Google

Mikel Arteta is preventing an Arsenal player from achieving the individual goal that he’s set for himself this season.

The Spaniard has assembled an outstanding squad in recent years in North London, which now looks capable of competing on multiple fronts.

Andrea Berta spent £250 million on eight players over the summer, providing his manager with a deep roster that has multiple different options in every position.

A symptom of this deep squad is that certain players are likely to be left with fewer minutes on the pitch than they’d like.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Mikel Arteta is stopping Christian Norgaard from achieving his individual goal

Arsenal signed Christian Norgaard for £15 million in the summer.

So far, the Dane has started just one game across all competitions, in the League Cup third round against Port Vale.

While he has managed a handful of cameo appearances off the bench, Norgaard has been limited to a total of just 110 minutes across all competitions.

Having been a staple figure in Brentford’s midfield for years, adapting to this new role must’ve been difficult for the defensive midfielder, and he’ll no doubt be eager for more regular minutes moving forward.

Speaking to the Arsenal media team, Norgaard revealed that he does indeed have an individual objective of playing regularly for the Gunners this campaign.

“There’s a collective goal and then there’s the individual goal,” he said.

“I want to, of course, be playing as much as possible and try to contribute as much as possible. And then there’s the collective one as well.”

Arteta has clearly been somewhat reticent to use Norgaard thus far, largely because of Martin Zubimendi’s excellence.

However, this reluctance to give the former Brentford man minutes is single-handedly preventing him from achieving his individual goal, and he could start to become restless if his playing time isn’t increased.

Christian Norgaard could find a role as an impact substitute

Norgaard started the season with an injury, and Arteta is likely waiting for the player to build his fitness back up before blooding him frequently.

He was always bought to play a squad role, and this was clear with the fee that the Gunners paid for him compared to what they outlaid for Zubimendi.

However, his skills can certainly be used effectively in certain scenarios. When Arsenal are looking to close a game out and hold on to a narrow lead, there will be few better options off the bench for Arteta to call upon than Norgaard.

The Denmark international’s best skill is his ability to regain possession in the middle of the park by making tackles and interceptions.

He’s also excellent in the air from defensive set-pieces, meaning he will have an opportunity to establish himself as the perfect impact substitute in specific game states.