Mikel Arteta has obvious answer to Martin Odegaard after what Arsenal teammate did
Mikel Arteta has the frustrating challenge of replacing Martin Odegaard’s impact after the Arsenal star suffered a new injury.
Odegaard will be sidelined until after the November international break, having clashed knees with West Ham‘s Crysencio Summerville in the Gunners’ previous win, which took them top of the Premier League table.
The Norwegian international had been substituted in two other matches before this fatal blow, and now Arteta needs to deal without his key playmaker for a substantial number of games.
This could not come at a worse time for the Gunners, having just leapfrogged Liverpool in the league table, with Fulham up next before welcoming Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
It is not all doom and gloom, though.
Arsenal fans have expected more from Eberechi Eze
Despite a goal and two assists in his first eight appearances, some supporters are still expecting to see more from their new signing after Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace for £67.5million.
In no way has the playmaker been underperforming, but Arteta has been afraid of going too attacking with his lineups, and therefore, Eze has been on the bench more than expected.
Declan Rice is undroppable for Arsenal. Martin Zubimendi holds together the base of midfield so that his teammates can push forward. So, that leaves one spot for the next few games.
While many will be hoping for Eze to claim the position, Arteta has shown time and time again that Mikel Merino is one of his favourite players, and his recent exploits make him difficult to ignore.
Mikel Merino makes a bold statement ahead of Arsenal return
After scoring against Bulgaria and bagging a hat-trick against Turkey in the last international break, the 29-year-old popped up with yet another two goals on Tuesday, 14 October.
He has just one goal for the Gunners so far this season, but after notching 14 goal contributions across all competitions last term, he has become a crucial member of the squad.
Now that Odegaard is sidelined for the next few weeks, Merino will be expected to step up in the final third. Clearly, that is still a big part of his playing style, and Arteta can unleash that side of him.
The Spaniard already has one goal against the Cottagers, and if the manager wants him to keep up his confidence, putting him straight in this weekend could be the right decision.