While plenty were questioning some of the business Arsenal did this summer, there were few doubting the arrival of Martin Odegaard.
The midfielder made an impression during his loan spell from Real Madrid last season, and plenty were glad to see him returning for what they saw as a decent price.
The move to the Emirates is not exactly last chance saloon for the player, but there is a clear feeling that he has to prove himself with Arsenal after failing to fight for a place at the Bernabeu.
That’s something he’s now doing, and according to AS, he is ‘already making Arsenal smile’ with his performances.
He’s started their last two games and helped the Gunners to victory in both, with the last seeing him score the winner against Burnley with an excellent free-kick.
Arsenal have now won three in a row, and as far as the newspaper is concerned, Odegaard is one of the ‘big contributors’ to that.
He’s apparently filled the hole left by Mesut Ozil, and now both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are ‘smiling’ because they know Odegaard is behind them ‘filtering passes’ and ‘improving the team’s movement’.
Indeed, AS believe that if Odegaard can link up Emile Smith-Rowe and Thomas Partey can get back to his Atlético Madrid form, Arsenal will have a midfield ‘capable of competing’ and should be in the mix for the top six at least.
That remains to be seen, of course, but ‘much of the responsibility’ for that change rests on Odegaard, who is seemingly loving life at Arsenal.
