Arsenal target new Odegaard with ‘elite potential’

It might seem like the wheels are coming off a bit at this point, but Arsenal’s the progress in the last few years has been really impressive.

Mikel Arteta he took his team from mid-table mediocrity to consistency Premier League challengers, and although his tactics certainly played a significant role in that transformation, so did his signings.

The likes of Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães and Declan Rice have elevated the entire squad, although perhaps his most influential acquisition was Martin Odegaard.

The midfield maestro is the club’s captain, and although currently out of form, is often the creative hub of the team, so reports linking the club with a youngster who could be the next Odegaard should excite fans.

Arsenal are chasing the exciting Wonderkid

According to a recent report by The Athletic’s David Ornstein on The Athletic FC PodcastArsenal are big fans of Norwegian youngster, Sverre Halseth Nypan.

Ornstein claims that, like many of their Premier League rivals, the Gunners are currently “looking for young players for the future”, and that includes the young midfielder, who the North Londoners are “very fond of”.

But the Premier League runners-up are not the only ones interested in the promising talent, as reported by Graeme Bailey last month revealed that Manchester United are incredibly keen to sign him this year and for that to happen, Rosenborg would demand a fee of around £10m.

It could be a relatively complicated and expensive transfer for Arsenal, but given Nypan’s ability and immense potential, it’s worth pursuing, especially as he could be their next Odegaard.

Why Nypan could be Odegaard 2.0

Okay, before we get into a few other reasons why Arsenal might want to sign Nypan this year, let’s look at the reasons why he and Odegaard are relatively easy to compare.

The first, while incredibly simple, cannot be ignored, and that is the fact that both players are highly regarded Norwegians who would join the North Londoners as unproven talents.

For example, Odegaard was seen as the next big wonder kid when he was still only 15 years old but he failed to live up to those expectations when he moved to Real Madrid. However, after joining the Gunners on a permanent contract in August 2021he was getting stronger.

The hype surrounding the Rosenborg gem may not be as extreme as it was for his compatriot, but there is an expectation that the 18-year-old will turn into a world champion.

For example, respected analyst Ben Mattinson he described the teenager as “elite potential talent” in the summer, while the talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed that he has “huge future ahead” last month.

Another similarity between them is where they play on the field.

For example, Arteta’s captain may be one of the creative hubs of the team, but he is not a traditional attacking midfielder. Instead, he plays a a hybrid eight/ten rolehelping out in the middle of the park and then moving in to help the attack.

Likewise, while the Trondheim-born gem has enjoyed a productive season this year, he too starts most matches in a central rolehelp in construction and the last third.

While the similarities to Odegaard are certainly encouraging, another reason why the Gunners should be looking to sign the young dynamo is the fact that he is already contributing at first-team level.

For example, in just 33 appearances last season, the extremely exciting youngster scored a goal eight goals and ten assistswhich is equal to an average share of goals every 1.83 games.

Ultimately, he may not be able to help Arsenal win the league this season, but he looks set to develop into a sensational talent a few years down the line.

Therefore, Arteta and Co should do everything they can to bring Nypano to the club this year.