Incredible Odegaard upgrade: Arteta wants Arsenal to sign £51m Madrid star

While it could still end in an incredible crescendo of Champions League glory, it wouldn’t be amiss to describe this season as something of a disappointment for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side were terrible in both the FA Cup and League Cup, and are now at risk of losing their grasp on second place in the Premier League.

Moreover, while the team has underwhelmed as a collective, there have been several players who’ve simply not reached the standards set in the last couple of years, such as Martin Odegaard.

So, with this in mind, it’s not all that surprising to read recent reports linking the club to someone who could be an upgrade on the Gunners captain.

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Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other midfield stars linked with Arsenal in recent months, such as Frenkie de Jong and Kevin De Bruyne.

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The former has been enjoying a stellar campaign with Barcelona and remains on track for a historic treble-winning season with the Catalan club, so while he’d be an exceptional addition to the club, we imagine he’d cost a king’s ransom, even with reports coming out about his contract talks stalling.

In contrast, we now know Kevin de Bruyne will be leaving Manchester City in the summer, so if Arteta can work his magic, he might just be able to convince the mercurial Belgian to join his former title rivals, and with 14 goal involvements in 36 games this season, he’d still be a useful player to have in the squad.

However, knowing the North Londoners might want to make sure they keep the team young and hungry, which could explain the recent links to Brahim Diaz.

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have identified the Moroccan international as a ‘top priority’ ahead of the summer and that Arteta really wants the club to sign the player he worked with at Manchester City.

The story claims that Real Madrid are willing to let the player leave for a convincing offer, while stories from earlier this year suggest that they’d be after a fee in the region of €60m, which is about £51m.

It would be a costly deal to get over the line, but one worth pursuing, as he could be a perfect upgrade on Odegaard.

How Diaz compares to Odegaard

So, if Arsenal get their man this summer, and he comes in to play more of a midfield role, he’d be in direct competition with Odegaard for that creative number ten role.

With that said, who comes out on top when we compare them?

From a pure output perspective, it is the “incredible” Real ace, as dubbed by Pep Guardiola, who emerges victorious, but only when we look at the minutes-to-goal involvement ratios.

For example, in 49 appearances, totalling 2058 minutes, the Moroccan international has scored six goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.76 games, or far more consequently, every 158.30 minutes.

In contrast, the Norwegian maestro has scored five goals and provided 11 assists in 41 appearances, totalling 3162 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.56 games, but more importantly, every 197.62 minutes.

What about when we take a look under the hood and at their underlying numbers, then? Is it another minor victory for the Champions League winner?

Well, it’s actually a relatively comfortable one for the 25-year-old, as he comes out ahead in most relevant metrics, including but not limited to expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy, goal-creating actions, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Odegaard remains a talented player, Diaz has outperformed him in just about every metric this season, and if Arsenal can sign him in the summer, they should.

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