In time honoured trend, with the brand new season days away, I’ve determined to take a look at three gamers for whom 2025-26 has a component of make or break to it.
Martin Odegaard
After being voted the participant of the season by supporters in 2022-23 and 2023-24, there isn’t a doubt that 2024-25 fell effectively under the requirements to which we’ve got grow to be accustomed from the captain. I feel the requirements he set previous to final season imply the gravity of his underperformance has been exaggerated.
I feel he was largely advantageous. However he has been considerably higher than ‘advantageous’ since signing for the membership in 2021 and when glorious turns into common it actually does stick out and it’s proper that there was loads of commentary on this throughout final season. I feel most followers settle for there are caveats and explanations for a under par marketing campaign. For now.
The Norwegian was injured on worldwide obligation in September and by no means appeared the identical after returning in November. I believe a few of this was as a result of a scarcity of depth in his place and his attributes meant he was rushed again and had mainly no respite from return to the top of the season.
Accidents round him would even have taken their toll. Ben White- one other participant who returned bodily from damage final season however didn’t fairly hit his typical standards- and Bukayo Saka had been lacking for lengthy intervals, breaking apart that essential right-sided triangle. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus additionally missed a lot of the second half of the season, which meant Odegaard was attempting to trend possibilities for a central midfielder enjoying upfront.
Odegaard has sufficient credit score within the financial institution that there was a good quantity of hypothesis that his ankle might need been troubling him for a number of months after his return. Nonetheless, I feel it’s completely honest that each one these caveats and explanations expire for this season and if he isn’t as much as his typical requirements once more this time round, we’d effectively have an issue. I’m certain he is aware of this too, particularly with the likes of Nwaneri (who began three pre-season video games in Odegaard’s place) and Max Dowman arising behind him.
Arsenal followers are excited concerning the adjustments they’re making on the ball this season… however I feel they need to be excited concerning the adjustments they’re making off it too. I feel they might ramp up their press once more which can solely profit their new signings. https://t.co/bT9XY3Eat6
— Jon Mackenzie (@Jon_Mackenzie) August 14, 2025
Gabriel Martinelli
If Odegaard nonetheless has some credit score within the financial institution after one season barely off the boil, Gabriel Martinelli is edging in the direction of his overdraft after a pair of underwhelming seasons in comparison with the requirements he set in 2022-23. Once more, I feel there are some caveats, such because the fixed switches of left-back, the truth that he hasn’t all the time meshed brilliantly with Declan Rice as a left eight and misses the interchange with compatriot Gabriel Jesus.
Nonetheless, we at the moment are on the stage the place that is the workforce and if he can not mesh with the system or the gamers in it, then he merely can’t play in it. My private opinion is that his decline from 2022-23 aligns comparatively neatly with the absence of Gabriel Jesus. Jesus favored to float over to the left and that allowed a way of chaos and interchange that’s not current on Arsenal’s left aspect.
I don’t suppose Martinelli has ever solid the identical relationship with Kai Havertz as a centre-forward however Kai Havertz isn’t going anyplace (and nor ought to he). I feel there’s a probability that the presence of Viktor Gyokeres ekes some higher kind out of Martinelli and sees him remoted in opposition to two defenders far much less typically.
However the indicators from the membership are that they’ve been on the lookout for different choices on this space for some time now. They tried to signal Mudryk in January 2023, there may be present speak of curiosity in Eze and Noni Madueke has performed solely on the left wing in pre-season.
I believe that had Bayern Munich proven curiosity in Martinelli versus Luis Diaz then the membership would have entertained a suggestion, it’s actually solely Leandro Trossard’s age that makes him a extra rational sale than Martinelli at this stage. Subsequent summer season the Brazilian may have two years left on his contract (one 12 months with an choice for an extra one) and that actually is ‘signal him up or promote him on’ time. His efficiency this season will dictate which a kind of choices Arsenal select.
Ethan Nwaneri
Clearly subsequent season is just not ‘make or break’ for Ethan given his youth. It’s a large season for him, nonetheless. Final summer season, Arsenal moved Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira on with out substitute, partly to create a path for Nwaneri. Because it turned out, accidents to Odegaard and Saka meant he was uncovered to very common minutes sooner than deliberate.
I’m certain the plan would have been to ease him in additional slowly, use him as an affect sub and play him within the cup video games. Circumstances dictated that he grew to become one in every of Arsenal’s most essential attackers for a interval within the late winter, which is outstanding for a participant who was 17 at that time.
The emergence of Max Dowman makes Nwaneri a grizzled veteran as compared. Clearly there shouldn’t be the type of stress on Nwaneri that Odegaard and Martinelli are below this season. This summer season, the speak of signing Ebere Eze died down the moment Nwaneri put pen to paper. Arsenal have proven belief in Ethan (which his expertise and his performances at such a younger age warrant).
With the brand new contract in his again pocket, the goal is to proceed enhancing and realise his undoubted potential. There was quite a lot of suggestion that the promise of him enjoying extra centrally was key to him committing his future to the membership and I feel that was a part of the explanation we noticed him begin three of Arsenal’s 5 pre-season friendlies in the best eight function.
I feel, before everything, it was a part of the dance of negotiation to get him to signal. I additionally suppose pre-season gave him the possibility to study within the place in a comparatively consequence free atmosphere. With Madueke on board, Arsenal additionally lastly have devoted cowl for Saka on the right-wing.
That signifies that, basically, there may be actually just one function up for grabs for Nwaneri and it’s the captain’s. Don’t get me improper; I feel Nwaneri will get loads of minutes and final season we noticed the affect of over reliance on particular person gamers. Final season additionally confirmed that accidents do happen.
Possibly we additionally noticed final season that, if Nwaneri goes to interrupt into the beginning eleven, Odegaard’s function, whereas, in my opinion under no circumstances up for grabs, might be nonetheless a barely higher route for him than Saka’s. There’s much less competitors there and Saka’s kind has but to undergo in the way in which Odegaard’s did final season.
Arteta and Arsenal have proven quite a lot of religion in Nwaneri, they’ve cleared gamers out of the way in which and never signed others to assist beat a path for him. They’ve carried out that, not out of the goodness of their hearts, however as a result of they recognize his high quality. I feel that’s the best choice, over to Nwaneri to proceed his growth and show it.
