Arsenal star gives stance on Gunners exit after being told to leave for two reasons | OneFootball

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has ‘no plans’ to leave the Emirates Stadium in the summer transfer window, according to reports.

The Norway international has previously been one of the Gunners’ most consistent performers but his influence on Mikel Arteta’s side has been on the wane this season.

Odegaard has started less than half of Arsenal‘s Premier League fixtures this season with injuries and poor form resulting in Arteta turning to other options.

The Arsenal midfielder has scored just once in 27 appearances in all competitions and provided six assists as the Gunners challenge on all fronts this season.

Last week, ESPN pundits Steve Nicol and Frank Leboeuf told Odegaard to leave Arsenal in the summer with Eberechi Eze potentially his replacement.

“All of a sudden – and I know he’s had some injuries – but there’s question marks over whether he actually starts because of Eze.

“And maybe because of the way he’s been playing, someone else might get ahead of him as well. So if you’re Martin Odegaard, do you stick around? I don’t think you do.”

Leboeuf added: “I agree, I agree. 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.”

And now Football.London claim that Odegaard ‘has no plans to leave Arsenal this summer and remains a core part’ of the team being built by Arteta.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has previously outlined why he thinks Odegaard “kills” Viktor Gyokeres when they play together.

Scholes said on the Stick to Football podcast: “Odegaard could be the problem. Odegaard wants to play as a No.10 and if you’re not playing good football it’s his job to make your team play good football. Good attacking football. I don’t think he does it.

“He drops into midfield. Look, I like him, technically he’s brilliant and good to watch. But he drops into midfield. I played No.10, if they come into the midfield area and play where Roy [Keane] should be he’d say ‘f*** off’, get up there. He doesn’t do it enough in those areas where it wins games.”

Scholes added: “You think about the teams we’ve watched win the league like Liverpool and Man City, exciting to watch.

“They’re exciting because of people like David Silva, Phil Foden receiving the ball on the edge of the box where it’s important. It also kills the centre forward [Viktor Gyokeres] he’s got nobody to play with. They are imperative to make your team play good football.”