Berta has just signed a “top talent” who can end Odegaard’s Arsenal career
On Saturday lunchtime, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had a big decision to make. Play Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze in the number 10 position?
Well, the Spaniard chose his club captain Odegaard. It was a successive start for the Norwegian who is now back from injury and ready to make an impact.
What that meant was that the Gunners’ November Player of the Month was selected on the left flank.
It wasn’t a decision that went well for Eze. The scorer of that famous hat-trick in the north London derby just a few weeks ago, his influence from the left, rather than in a central area, was severely lacking.
It was Eze who switched off at the back post for Matty Cash’s opener and despite having a goal ruled out for offside, he was anonymous in the final third.
The summer signing was subsequently withdrawn at the half time interval having registered just 13 touches of the ball and amassed just seven passes.
Why Arsenal must pick Eze over Odegaard in the number 10 role
Before Emiliano Buendia’s late winner at Villa Park on Saturday, TNT Sports’ Martin Keown had named Martin Odegaard as the player of the match.
The club captain drifted in and out of the game, but left the field with three key passes and three shots to his name. He also ensured Bukayo Saka looked like a constant threat in the game. Indeed, in the words of the Telegraph’s Sam Dean, he noted that “it can’t be a coincidence that Saka has been so dangerous today, on the day he is reunited with Odegaard,” suggesting that as a pairing, they remain one of Arsenal’s “great weapons.”
That they may well be, but the skipper arguably held Arteta’s team back. While Eze has looked like such a big goal threat over the last few weeks, a dynamic and silky player who can produce a moment of magic out of nowhere, Odegaard was sluggish and timid in possession.
His biggest problem is that unlike Eze, he takes too many touches and he’s slow in possession. The 26-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the world on his day. He’s supremely creative but Arsenal’s summer recruit from Crystal Palace has taken them to the next level in recent weeks.
Mins played
90
45
Touches
80
13
Key passes
3
0
Shots
3
0
Successful dribbles
1/4
1/1
Duels won
3/10
2/5
Possession lost
15x
3x
It was surely no coincidence that two of their finest wins of 2025, the victories against Spurs and Bayern, came with Eze in the team over Odegaard.
It feels incredibly unlikely that Arteta will drop the latter but he must explore what this team could be like without their captain.
That said, Eze isn’t the only threat to Odegaard’s long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's next Odegaard and Eze
Eze’s arrival has coincided with a lack of game time for Ethan Nwaneri. Last season he was compared to Lionel Messi by Joe Cole and described as “the most exciting footballer in England.” How times change.
While the 18-year-old is still up there as one of the finest young talents in the country, scoring nine goals last term, regular senior football has eluded him in 2025/26. He has played just 165 minutes of Premier League football this term and only 20 minutes since the start of November.
Nwaneri will no doubt come good but he will also have to rival the great Max Dowman for a place in the team over the forthcoming years. Odegaard, beware.
The two exciting teenagers are not the only threats to Odegaard’s long-term future, however. Enter Holger Quintero.
At the end of last week, Arsenal announced the signings of a set of twins, Holger and Edwin Quintero from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle.
They have become one of the finest exponents of young talent in world football in recent years. Part of their alumni include Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie and PSG’s brute of a central defender William Pacho.
Well, the Quintero twins look like the next cabs of the rank and while they will not be seen in Arsenal colours until they turn 18, the 16-year-old’s have signed an agreement to join the club, something that was announced last Thursday.
Edwin is a left-footed right winger and, alongside Dowman, has been labelled as a “10/10 talent” by scout Jacek Kulig. As for his brother, Holger, he is an attacking midfielder by trade and an exciting one at that.
Described as a “top talent” by Como scout Felix Johnston, he possesses a glittering array of skills, outlined by Kulig.
The scout notes that he has “superb close control, flair and creativity” while hailing the youngster’s “low centre of gravity and excellent agility, acceleration and coordination.”
Close control and creativity are two areas in which Odegaard also thrives in but it’s arguably that lack of acceleration and ability to carry the ball forward with pace that holds him back. That’s where Quintero could trump him in the years to come.
Further described as a young kid with “elite dribbling skills with futsal-like ball control”, there is a reason Arsenal have decided to invest in these two young attacking sensations.
To predict they could become world beaters might be a stretch at this stage, but there is huge excitement about them both. As Kulig put it, Holger is “one of the most exciting U17s in South America.”
Watch out, Odegaard, it might not only be Dowman coming for your place.
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