Odegaard remains a doubt for NLD as Arsenal midfield nurse injuries

After sustaining an ankle injury while playing for Norway, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is uncertain for Sunday’s North London derby, which comes at the beginning of a difficult week for the Gunners.

Odegaard had assistance getting off the field. He had to be replaced after hurting his ankle during a Nations League match against Austria. Norway coach Stale Solbakken told broadcaster TV2: “It looked bad in the dressing room too.”

Team doctor Ola Sand added. “He got a small ankle sprain. We will see throughout the evening and [Tuesday] what happens next and what we will do about it.” Later on tuesday, further information on the extent of the damage should become available.

However, Odegaard now appears unlikely to play against Tottenham on Sunday. Consequently, Mikel Arteta might not be able to field his whole first-team midfield for the game. Fresh signee Declan Rice is suspended following his odd dismissal against Brighton. While Mikel Merino suffered a broken shoulder during his first practice as a member of the team.

Merino is unlikely to make his debut until October. Nor could the timing of Odegaard’s injury be worse: Arsenal’s Champions League campaign begins on Thursday night with a game  away to Atalanta. Then, on Sunday, they have a short turnaround to play against Manchester City.

Leandro Trossard would be the most likely candidate to replace Odegaard. Were Trossard to be redeployed, it could pave the way for loan signing Raheem Sterling to make his first Arsenal start on the left wing at Tottenham.

But that in turn would still leave Arteta with a selection dilemma to fill Rice’s role as a left-sided midfielder. Given Gabriel Jesus’ own injury concerns, it seems likely Kai Havertz will remain up front. So Oleksandr Zinchenko may have to move upfield.

However, Arsenal have one player in the team they cannot afford to be without and that is captain Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian midfielder is the heartbeat of the team. His world-class levels both with and without the ball are not only crucial to Mikel Arteta’s side, but also impossible to find elsewhere in the team.

Odegaard led the league in predicted assists with 11.17, making him the most inventive player in the Premier League last season. Only fellow player Bukayo Saka, who scored eleven, came close to reaching that threshold.

However, Odegaard’s contribution to Arsenal’s pressing is what makes him so important. Only five players manage more pressures that resulted in a turnover than the midfielder for the Gunners last season. No player earned more possessions in the final third than him.