‘Can perhaps feature in the middle’: Mikel Arteta says £38m Arsenal man could be Odegaard’s surprise NLD replacement
Arsenal have found themselves in a difficult situation ahead of Sunday’s North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners had already lost Declan Rice to suspension ahead of the international break, and now they may be without Martin Odegaard too.
The Arsenal captain suffered an injury in Norway’s 2-1 win over Austria on Monday night and was seen hobbling off the pitch.
A day later, as reported by football.london, Odegaard was pictured boarding an aeroplane on crutches and no shoe on his left foot.
In addition, Mikel Merino is on the sidelines after he picked up an injury in training before the season got under way.
With that in mind, Mikel Arteta has some thinking to do ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arsenal legend Alan Smith has now given his thoughts on who else besides Kai Havertz and Jorginho could fill in for Odegaard.
Oleksandr Zinchenko touted as Martin Odegaard replacement for Arsenal at Tottenham
Smith, speaking on Sky Sports News, believes Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard could perhaps do a job in the middle of the park.
However, he feels Jorginho will be the standout candidate to come in for Odegaard, while Havertz is also a likely shout.
“Jorginho has been on the bench for the first three games of the season so you’d expect him to potentially slot into the midfield against Tottenham, especially with the experience he has,” said Smith.
“Kai Havertz has also played back in midfield before for the Gunners and he can do that job if Gabriel Jesus is fit to lead the line.
“Oleksandr Zinchenko can perhaps feature in the middle of the park and even Leandro Trossard has played in there too.
“There are plenty of options for Mikel Arteta but Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard have been so important for Arsenal.
“Particularly in a derby, you’d want those sorts of characters in the team, but there are still plenty of quality options in that Arsenal squad.”
Zinchenko has decent amount of experience in midfield
Zinchenko’s time at Arsenal and Manchester City has mostly seen him deployed as an inverted left-back, almost playing two positions at once – left-back and central midfielder.
However, most of the £30million man’s appearances for Ukraine’s national team have come in central midfield.
With that in mind, Zinchenko is a good shout to replace Odegaard for Arsenal, though it remains to be seen whether Arteta will opt for Havertz or Jorginho instead, as they seem the likelier options.
