Merson: Odegaard Back to His Form of Two Years Ago, Like Arsenal Have Made a £100 Million Signing

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson believes that Martin Odegaard returning to his best form is like Mikel Arteta having a new signing worth £100 million.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Merson said: "He (Odegaard) is back to the way he was two years ago. If he can continue playing the way he is now, then it is equivalent to a new £100 million signing."

Odegaard has indeed faced some problems recently. The Norway international scored only one goal in all competitions last season, which was unexpected. In the opening four matches of this season, he has already scored three goals, showing clear improvement. This also indicates that he has the ability to once again reach double figures in goals as he did in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.

Odegaard was not the only player to miss a large number of matches and struggle for form last season; Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka also failed to show their expected levels. Arsenal played some of their best football under Arteta in the 2023/24 season, keeping the title race alive until the final day before ultimately losing to Manchester City. That period coincided with Odegaard, Havertz and Saka forming a consistent and effective partnership, with the trio making Arsenal's attacking threat stronger than it was during the previous season's title challenge.

Merson still believes that Arsenal may struggle in some areas after failing to sign that star attacker this summer, but Odegaard staying fit and continuing his current form can provide similar value to some extent.