Odegaard upgrade: Arsenal have made a move to sign £88m “generational talent”
Arsenal got back to winning ways on Wednesday night, with a 3-0 demolition of Club Brugge in the Champions League.
It was a much-needed result following their 2-1 loss away to Aston Villa in their last Premier League match, and the fifth time this season the Gunners have won after dropping points.
There is something different about Mikel Arteta’s side this season, a sense that this is finally the year in which they’ll get over the finishing line.
Perhaps in a bid to ensure that happens, reports now suggest Arsenal are making a move to sign a seriously exciting attacker next year, someone who could be an upgrade on Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal target Odegaard upgrade
Arsenal did go unusually big in the summer transfer window, but with a potential league title and more on the line this season, they’re being linked with a plethora of potential game-changing talents ahead of the January window.
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RB Leipzig’s £87m Yan Diomande, for example, has been touted for a move to the Emirates, as has Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.
However, as brilliantly talented as those two players are, their positions mean that neither would represent an upgrade on Odegaard, unlike Arda Güler.
Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have reignited their interest in the Turkish wonderkid.
In fact, alongside the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, the report claims that the Gunners have already made their move to sign the Madrid star.
However, the Spanish giants are reportedly still unsure whether they want to keep the 20-year-old, and if not, another report from earlier this month stated that a fee of £88m might be required to get them to sell.
In all, this could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Güler’s ability and potential, it’s one Arsenal should fight for, even if it’s bad news for Odegaard.
How Güler compares to Oedegaard
Now, one of Güler’s best traits is the fact that he can be moved around a bit and, if the manager needs him to, do a job out wide.
However, while he can do this, it would be foolish to sign him to play him in wide areas, as he is now spending most of his time in attacking midfield and playing very well there.
In other words, were Arsenal to sign the Madrid star, one of his main rivals for game time would be Odegaard, but who’d come out on top?
Well, starting with their raw output, it’s the Turkish superstar who comes out on top, and quite comfortably at that.
For example, in 21 appearances this season, totalling 1365 minutes, the “generational talent”, as described by journalist Dean Jones, has scored three goals and provided seven assists, averaging a goal involvement every 2.1 games, or every 136.5 minutes.
In contrast, the Gunners’ captain has provided just two assists in 12 appearances this season, totalling 587 minutes, which is a goal involvement every six games, or every 293.5 minutes.
Okay, what about their underlying numbers, then? Who comes out on top when you take a look under the hood?
Unfortunately for the Norwegian maestro, it is once again his potential rival who comes out looking better, although it is a little closer this time.
For example, the former Fenerbahçe gem comes out on top in most relevant metrics, including shot-creating actions, key passes, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, tackles won and more, all per 90.
Güler vs Odegaard
Statistics per 90
Güler
Odegaard
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.74
0.28
Progressive Passes
7.64
11.7
Shots
2.64
1.73
Shots on Target
1.00
0.86
Passing Accuracy
85.2%
81.1%
Key Passes
3.27
2.39
Shot-Creating Actions
6.18
5.61
Goal-Creating Actions
0.64
1.08
Tackles Won
1.36
0.65
Successful Take-On %
52.2%
50.0%
Aerial Duels Won
0.36
0.22
Ball Recoveries
4.27
5.00
All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 League Season
What’s even more impressive about all of this is that the Ankara-born gem is doing all this and outperforming the North Londoners number eight despite being six years younger than him.
Ultimately, Odegaard is a brilliant player and could play a huge role in Arsenal’s success this season, but Güler looks to be the better player, and therefore, Andrea Berta should do what he can to sign him for the club.
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