At a Glance:
- Martin Odegaard suffered yet another injury last week.
- The Norwegian has provided a promising update regarding his fitness status.
- Data shows that Arsenal’s captain is extremely important to Mikel Arteta’s team.
Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard has revealed that he’s ‘desperate’ to be available for the run-in for Mikel Arteta’s team, after sustaining his latest injury setback.
The Norwegian has endured a difficult 2025/26 campaign, managing just 13 league starts so far due to persistent fitness issues. He’s sustained four separate injuries, limiting how much he’s been able to influence the Gunners’ pursuit of major silverware.
After being beaten by Bournemouth at the Emirates on Saturday, Arsenal’s season is in the balance, and they desperately need Odegaard’s creativity to resurrect their flailing attack. Thus, Gunners supporters will be glad to hear that their club captain doesn’t believe his current issue to be ‘too bad.’
Martin Odegaard breaks silence on latest injury
Odegaard has managed just over 1,000 league minutes this term. In years gone by, he’s played closer to 3,000, leading Arsenal in multiple title races.
His presence is keenly missed, and thankfully for Arteta, it appears a return could be near. Sitting out of Norway’s camp over the international break so he could focus on rediscovering his fitness, Odegaard played just two matches before falling to yet another setback.
He missed Saturday’s defeat to Bournemouth and has now provided some clarity around his absence. Speaking to Arsenal’s media team ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League clash against Sporting, Odegaard updated fans on his fitness status.
🗣️| Martin Ødegaard on his injury: “I had to go off during the second half of that game in Portugal last week, feeling my knee, which is why I missed the game at the weekend. I caught it a little bit against Sporting, but hopefully it shouldn’t be too bad. I’m desperate to get… pic.twitter.com/JYlRa9vMOe
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) April 15, 2026
“I had to go off during the second half of that game in Portugal last week, feeling my knee, which is why I missed the game at the weekend,” he said.
“I caught it a little bit against Sporting, but hopefully it shouldn’t be too bad. I’m desperate to get back as soon as possible because this is the crucial period of the season, in the Premier League and Champions League.”
Stats show just how important Martin Odegaard is to Arsenal
Odegaard’s importance to Arsenal has been overlooked over the last 12 months, largely due to his cold patch in front of goal. The playmaker is still be far the best passer and most creative player in the Gunners’ ranks, and this is reflected by a plethora of different metrics.
| Progressive Passes per 90 leaders in the Premier League 2024/25 (5+ 90s only) | |
| Martin Odegaard | 9.72 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 9.46 |
| Adam Wharton | 8.84 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 8.69 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 8.24 |
| James Maddison | 8.19 |
As shown by the data above, Odegaard completed more passes per 90 minutes than any other Premier League player last season (of those who played over five 90s). This demonstrates how pivotal he is to the Gunners’ ball progression, helping Arsenal get up the field and into the penalty box at an elite rate.
Saka and Odegaard are both in the top 7 players in the league for open play expected assists per 90
— Rory Talks Football (@Rory_Talks_Ball) April 12, 2026
I know their form hasn’t been great, but their return is crucial to us creating more chances pic.twitter.com/bsx4TYDimd
Meanwhile, the data graphic above shows that Odegaard doesn’t only get the ball into the final third, but he also creates good quality chances for his teammates at a more prolific rate than most players in the league.
These revealing stats show that it’s not exactly a surprise that Arsenal have struggled offensively without their captain. He is their creative heartbeat and they desperately need him fit and firing.
