Martin Odegaard Sets Return Target as Mikel Arteta Faces Arsenal Midfield Crisis
Martin Odegaard is reportedly facing an eight-week absence after sustaining significant ankle ligament damage while on international duty.
This is a blow for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who had hoped his captain would not be sidelined for an extended period.
The target for Odegaard’s return is the home match against Nottingham Forest on November 23, provided his recovery progresses smoothly.
Arteta confirmed that medical tests revealed substantial damage to a ligament in Odegaard’s ankle and acknowledged that his absence will be a challenge for the team.
The Norwegian playmaker, central to Arsenal’s attacking identity, will miss key fixtures, including matches against Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, and Chelsea.
With Odegaard out, Arteta must reshuffle his midfield options. Although Declan Rice will return from suspension, the injury to new signing Mikel Merino, who is also sidelined, limits the manager’s choices further.
The departures of Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira in the summer leave Arteta with the potential option of giving more responsibility to 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who could fill the attacking midfield role.
Another solution could be to drop Kai Havertz into midfield from his current center-forward role, though the German is enjoying good form in that position and may not want to disrupt his rhythm.
Martin Odegaard Sets Return Target as Mikel Arteta Faces Arsenal Midfield Crisis
