Arsenal have the unenviable task of trying to usurp Manchester City at the top of the Premier League in 2024/25.
As Pep Guardiola enjoys his final rodeo in Manchester next season, this campaign is crucial to the vision of Mikel Arteta’s legacy. This may be the Spanish player’s last chance to topple the dynasty he played little part in shaping.
This is a brilliant Arsenal team, who have come within a whisker of winning the league title in back-to-back seasons. Their starting XI is as strong as any on the continent and a concerted effort has been made to provide Arteta with reliable depth options in recent windows. However, if Arsenal are to go any better next season, the Gunners need the final pieces of the jigsaw.
Arteta has so far avoided making a public appearance after Kai Havertz enjoyed a 2023/24 end. There is also hope that Gabriel Martinelli will bounce back from last season’s disappointing campaign. Therefore, the club’s attention in this summer transfer window has so far been focused on acquiring a left back – Riccardo Calafiori – and a central midfielder.
Arsenal have been linked with many names for a midfielder, but none more attractive than Paris Saint Germain’s Fabian Ruiz after Euro 2024. Whoever the club gets is expected to work hand in hand with captain Martin Odegaard and this is how Spain’s latest hero Fabian is. meets a Norwegian gamer.
Odegaard’s role in north London has changed significantly since he first joined the club. Last season, the Arsenal captain took on more responsibility in the deeper areas of the pitch as he no longer worked as a playmaker in and around the box. He played a major role in Arsenal’s build-up play and helped them develop up the pitch.
In 2023/24, Odegaard attempted (58.5) and completed (49.3) more passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League than in any other season since arriving at Arsenal. His passing was solid at 84.3% and 91.4% of short passes attempted between five and 15 yards. Odegaard has certainly shown signs of maturing in his deeper role, and showing his ability to rise to challenges and pass pressure. He has been dispossessed 1.69 times per 90 league minutes.
However, any midfielder has his work cut out for him when competing against the Spaniard in possession. Given PSG’s supremacy throughout Ligue 1, Fabian’s numbers have been boosted somewhat as PSG have always had the ball. The Spaniard is an excellent coach, however, and his work at Euro 2024 has brought out the best in his involvement, particularly in the final against England.
Fabian is always cool under pressure. He knows how to use subtle feints and shimmies to beat defenders on the run and retain possession. His aggressive role in Luis Enrique’s midfield last season meant his passing numbers dipped slightly, but he still attempted 65.6 of 90 passes in Ligue 1 for a success rate of 89.2%.
Fabian was also dispossessed 0.23 times per 90 last season. You just can’t get the ball off him.
Although many describe Fabian as a box-to-box player, most would place Odegaard as a bona fide number 10 who has recently evolved into a player who can affect all phases.
The Arsenal captain and PSG midfielder tried to undermine the deep defenses in their own way. Odegaard is the heartbeat of this Gunners outfit and is almost always on the ball in and around the box. He combines well down the right with Bukayo Saka and Ben White and is able to pull off moments of cleverness off the cuff to create chances.
The Norwegian can unlock defenses with a clever backheel, pinpoint ball or magical feet in tight spaces. He is a versatile creator and his left foot is high.
Odegaard collected ten Premier League assists last season and recorded 6.41 shooting actions per 90 – the highest rate of his Arsenal career.
Fabian, on the contrary, is not a natural helper but is a better penetrator of space than Odegaard. He doesn’t compare to the Arsenal man as a playmaker, but he is excellent at darting through space on the left and reaching gaps within the opposition’s defensive structure.
The Spanish player’s most assists in one season is six. He averaged 3.01 shots per 90 in Ligue 1 last season and is close to matching Odegaard’s SCA from the previous season once (5.78 in the 2018/19 Serie A season with Napoli).
There are similarities in the goal scoring area, with both players boasting left feet that can beat goalkeepers from distance. At Napoli, Fabian scored big goals on the edge of the opposition box – most memorably against Lazio away from home in February 2022.
Odegaard also scored important goals at big moments, with the Arsenal captain scoring the majority of his goals in the same position where he was cut back. While Fabian is more of a drilled finisher from range, Odegaard prefers to hit the ball.
The Norwegian maestro is a very natural finisher and has been a reliable customer in front of goal in recent years. Fabian has scored just four goals in Ligue 1 since joining PSG two years ago. Meanwhile, Odegaard has scored 23 times in the Premier League. The smart Scandinavian operator has also never finished a season short of his expected goals, while Fabian has had two separate seasons (2019/20 and 2023/24).
However, his Euro 2024 strike after crashing into the box suggests Fabian could enjoy a goal-scoring boost if he takes up the left-eighth role in north London.
You can’t be a good midfielder these days without being good at holding the ball. In the last 10 years, Odegaard has made sure that he does not follow the paths of Mesut Ozil and James Rodriguez, instead becoming an innocent playmaker off the ball.
Odegaard is a relentless operator defensively. He often leads Arsenal’s pressing 4-4-2 up front, with the tricky task of preventing the opposition’s holding midfielder from inheriting it while pulling his socks off to win the ball as high as possible. Honestly, the numbers don’t do Odegaard’s defensive output justice. He is an integral part of one of the best teams in the world that he doesn’t have.
Fabian is more dominant than Odegaard and plays a bigger role in the middle of the park. He is a crafty operator defensively and surprisingly puts up impressive defensive numbers. The Spaniard recorded a combined 3.38 tackles and interceptions per 90 in Ligue 1 last season compared to Odegaard’s 1.92 in the Premier League.
If Fabian were to join Arsenal, he would sit on the pivot in midfield alongside Declan Rice out of possession with Odegaard continuing in his role as press leader.
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