Arsenal have a number of important partnerships in their team.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have formed an impenetrable bond in recent years, with this relationship pivotal to the Gunners’ defensive solidity.
Meanwhile, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice dovetail nicely in the middle of the park, and Bukayo Saka and Ben White combine effectively on Arsenal’s right-hand side.
However, essential to Mikel Arteta’s attacking cohort functioning as a unit are two players and their ability to link up and create threatening moments consistently throughout matches.
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard’s relationship is integral to Arsenal
Arsenal fans were petrified when Gabriel sustained a season-ending injury, with the fear being that the breaking up of the Brazilian’s partnership with Saliba would derail the Gunners’ Champions League hopes.
However, Jakub Kiwior has slotted in and shown that the North Londoners can cope without their imposing central defensive duo.
On the flip side, Arsenal’s most testing periods of the season have come when one of Martin Odegaard or Saka has been out.
Odegaard missed action between September and November, and the Gunners endured a four-match winless run in the Premier League during this time.
Meanwhile, Saka was out for three months, and this coincided with Arsenal’s title hopes completely diminishing.
Arteta’s team looked bleak as an offensive force without the two players combining, while they’ve looked reignited since Saka’s return.
The pair started together in the league for the first time since December against Ipswich on the weekend, and fans were immediately reminded of the elite, telepathic relationship they have.
Their trademark move involves Saka driving inside with the ball, playing it to Odegaard on the edge of the box, who then feeds it back to the winger who has run in behind.
This exact combination leads to several dangerous moments throughout matches, and while the opposition know they’re going to attempt it, it’s still very difficult to stop.
Odegaard is incredibly good at feeding Saka in dangerous positions, whether it’s by using his immaculate passing skills by playing it to the team’s talisman early and in space, or by carrying the ball into space and dragging a defender towards him, creating room for Saka outside of him.
Arsenal’s entire attack is built around this dynamic, and when it’s not there, they struggle to create chances.
Arsenal’s record with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard starting together 2024/25
The proof is in the pudding – Arsenal have an exceptional record when Saka and Odegaard start together.
Due to injury, the majestic partnership has only been in play from the start of games 15 times this season, with the Gunners winning 11 of those and losing none.
| Arsenal’s record when Odegaard and Saka have started together 2024/25 (All Competitions) | |
| Matches | 15 |
| Wins | 11 |
| Draws | 4 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Goals For | 39 |
| Goals Against | 8 |
They’ve scored 39 goals in these 15 matches, equating to 2.6 goals per game, compared to the 1.8 per game they’ve scored in the league across all 33 matches so far.
These matches weren’t just against minnows either, with wins against Real Madrid, Aston Villa, Sporting and Manchester United scattered across them.
The four draws came against Brighton when Arsenal played with ten men for a half due to a Declan Rice red card, away at Chelsea, and against Fulham and Everton, when the Gunners conceded two shots in both games respectively.
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