Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has issued a worrying update ahead of the north London derby, with the midfielder stating that he hasn’t felt his best after picking up a calf injury before the start of the international break.
Speaking to Dagbladet, the 23-year-old revealed that his performances with Norway this month have not been his best in part to a small injury Odegaard picked up whilst in training with Arsenal, causing the midfielder to miss out on the Gunners’ 3-0 win against Brentford before the break.
Whilst there is an expectation that Odegaard will feature for Arsenal against Tottenham this Saturday, this latest update from the midfield maestro is the last thing the north London side wanted to hear. The former Real Madrid star has been one of the club’s best players this season and has evolved his role in the midfield to something more.
Odegaard has bagged three goals in six Premier League appearances as the Gunners sit top of the Premier League table, and with Tottenham coming up next, another win could put Arsenal on an unlikely path to compete for the title, yet this latest injury update is far from ideal.
With Football London reporting that Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko are all set to be fit to face Tottenham, having a fully-fit squad will be a huge boost for Arsenal’s chances of beating Tottenham. Yet for Odegaard, there could be a chance that the midfielder might not be 100% fit.
The reported £35m 2021 signing said about his fitness: “It’s not good to say. I haven’t practiced as much football as I usually do. But I don’t blame it. I could do better anyway. In the same way as the team, I have not been at my best. It’s a bit disappointing.”
Odegaard injury update could cost Arsenal the derby
Arsenal were ultimately fine without Odegaard starting for them against Brentford nearly two weeks ago. But as we know, Tottenham is a different beast entirely, and the Norweigian missing out on such a big fixture could be a big loss for the north London hopefuls.
After all, Odegaard balances out the Arsenal midfield in a big way alongside Partey and Granit Xhaka, and the 23-year-old missing out through a small knock will be a big blow for the Gunners in what is shaping up to be their biggest game of the season yet.
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