After back-to-back campaigns of coming painfully shut and falling on the ultimate hurdle, there was a sense amongst Arsenal followers that it might be their 12 months this season.

That feeling was solely strengthened when Mikel Arteta’s facet picked up two wins from their first two video games final month, however issues went awry towards Brighton & Hove Albion.

Early on within the second half, Declan Rice was given a controversial second yellow, and whereas the Gunners did not lose, they did drop two factors, and maybe even worse than that, they will be with out their £105m man for the North London Derby on Sunday.

Nonetheless, in even worse information, Martin Odegaard limped off the pitch in Norway’s recreation towards Austria final night time, so it appears to be like like he, too, will miss the sport on Sunday.

Curiously, the membership as soon as had a Premier League star on their books who would have been the right alternative for the Norwegian.

The most recent on Odegaard

Within the 67th minute of Norway’s 2-1 victory over Austria final night time, Odegaard was substituted for what has now been confirmed as an ankle damage.

Talking after the sport, Norway’s staff physician, Ola Sand, revealed that the Arsenal captain had suffered a “small ankle sprain” and that the nationwide staff would wait and “see all through the night and [Tuesday] what occurs subsequent and what we’ll do about it.”

The damage is yet one more crushing blow for the Gunners, who will now possible be with out their first-choice midfield three for the must-win recreation on Sunday as a consequence of Rice’s aforementioned suspension and new signing Mikel Merino’s freak accident in coaching final month.

That mentioned, whereas Thomas Partey and Jorginho ought to have the ability to step into the fold for these two, albeit at a decrease stage, there merely is not a pure alternative for the captain within the squad, and contemplating he racked up a critically spectacular haul of 22 targets and assists final season, that is a major problem.

Nonetheless, whereas it’s of no assist to Arteta right this moment, the membership as soon as had a teen on the books who has since developed into a world star and would’ve been the best alternative.

Why Eberechi Eze can be the best alternative

Sure, the previous Arsenal teen in query is Eberechi Eze, who was part of the membership’s youth system between the ages of 9 and 13, after which he was launched for allegedly being too small.

The Englishman then hung out within the youth techniques of Fulham and Millwall earlier than settling at Queens Park Rangers, the place he made his senior debut in an FA Cup Third Spherical defeat to Blackburn Rovers on the seventh of January 2017.

After a brief time period mortgage spell with Wycombe Wanderers, the Greenwich-born gem lastly made his means into the Hoops’ first staff and by the point he had left to affix Crystal Palace for £20m in August 2020, he had racked up a formidable haul of 20 targets and 13 assists in 112 appearances.

Nonetheless, whereas he impressed at Loftus Highway, he exploded at Selhurst Park, and whereas he is battled with accidents, he has since develop into an extremely sought-after participant, with a tally of 28 targets and 17 assists in 128 video games for the Eagles and a launch clause price £68m that’s reportedly set to be lively as soon as extra subsequent summer time.

The Gunners had been loosely linked with the 26-year-old “famous person”, as dubbed by information analyst Ben Mattinson, over the summer time, however nothing materialised. Nonetheless, given Odegaard’s latest damage, we’re positive the membership want they’d pursued him additional, as his positional versatility might have been the reply to their present predicament.

For instance, whereas the eight-capped Englishman has performed everywhere in the pitch throughout his profession, his most performed place – with 105 appearances there – is attacking midfield, and given his performances final season, through which he scored 11 targets and supplied six assists, he undoubtedly might have helped carry the inventive and attacking load within the Norwegian’s absence.

Nonetheless, Arsenal made their choice 13 years in the past, and whereas Eze has gone on to develop into a severe expertise, there isn’t a telling what would have occurred had he stayed in North London; furthermore, there’s at all times the prospect the membership will return in for him subsequent summer time.