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Pundit slams Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard

By on February 25, 2026

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Former defender turned pundit Frank Leboeuf has slammed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard following his average performances thus far this season.

After moving to the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid, the 27-year-old established himself as one of the best creative midfielders in the Premier League.

However, he has struggled to showcase his best so far this term, with injury problems one of the main reasons. In 27 appearances across all competitions, he has netted only once and registered six assists.

Still, he has showcased his best on the international stage, helping Norway to qualify for this summer’s World Cup. They have reached this competition for the first time since 1998.

Now, speaking on ESPN(via Metro), Leboeuf says that he always linked Odegaard as the Norwegian is an elegant player. However, he hasn’t been influential thus far this season, and Eberechi Eze has been making more impact.

The former Crystal Palace star has even been helping Viktor Gyokeres to play at his best. So, Odegaard might be better off leaving at the end of this season.

Leboeuf said:

“I’ve always liked Martin Odegaard and the way he plays because he’s very elegant, but he’s not influential anymore. He’s there to start the action, to distribute the ball horizontally.

“But with Eze right now the moves are not the same, he’s more vertical, more influential and he’s going to help [Viktor] Gyokeres too. So it will be a hard time for Odegaard and he will have to make a very good choice, a big choice, at the end of the season.”

Pundit slams Odegaard

Since moving to the Emirates Stadium from Crystal Palace last summer, Eze has had a mixed time. However, he has showcased his best in the Premier League’s both North London derbies against Tottenham Hotspur.

He scored a hat-trick at home before netting a brace in the away fixture, with Arsenal winning both games 4-1. Overall, he has made 12 goal contributions across all competitions this season.

Although Odegaard hasn’t been at his best, Mikel Arteta has preferred to start the Norwegian in most of the big matches when he is available.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the Spanish boss would allow his captain to leave at the end of this campaign.