Why Arsenal gem Ethan Nwaneri’s masterclass in 2-0 win v Leicester City should actually worry Martin Odegaard

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Ethan Nwaneri continues to show that he is destined for the very top in an Arsenal shirt as he starred for his boyhood club in their crucial 2-0 victory against Leicester City.

Setting up Mikel Merino’s first goal, Ethan Nwaneri proved to be a real difference-maker from the right-wing and deservedly garnered praise for his latest heroics.

Merino lauded Nwaneri’s showing against Leicester as he described the 17-year-old as an “amazing player” after reflecting on how the pair combined for the eventual winner on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Michael Owen felt Nwaneri outperformed Merino against Leicester as the pundit claimed that the teenager was “the best player on the pitch.”

Even Joe Cole expressed his admiration towards Nwaneri as he dazzled at the King Power Stadium and looks like a real top player already for one of the best teams in the world.

As the Englishman shone for Arsenal, Martin Odegaard should have every reason to be concerned as the youngster showed that he has all the attributes to even take his spot one day.

• READ MORE: Paul Merson says Arsenal actually have an ‘amazing’ youngster who is an absolutely ‘massive talent’

Ethan Nwaneri looks like more of a match-winner than Martin Odegaard after Leicester City vs Arsenal

Odegaard is a phenomenal player and remains one of the Gunners’ most important players.

But in Nwaneri, it is clear to see that Arsenal have a player who is much more of a match-winner than the Norwegian international.

Unlike Odegaard, who is more of a connector on the pitch, the highly-rated wonderkid is a player that turns games around by producing moments of magic that only the very best attacking players do — as exemplified by his exceptional assist for Merino’s headed goal.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
2	ArsenalArsenal	25	15	8	2	51	22	29	53

Nwaneri, who has been compared to Cesc Fabregas is similar to the World Cup winner in the respect that he matches skill and productivity — already scoring an incredible seven goals across all competitions for the North Londoners this season.

Mikel Arteta lauded Odegaard’s display against Leicester as he proved once again that he has the ability to dictate the tempo of games — a habit that Nwaneri still lacks and one that is developed by several midfielders over time.

But quite often this campaign and over the past few years, when Arsenal have lacked an X-factor barring Saka to bail them out of games and the former Real Madrid playmaker has failed to step up — not due to his own inadequacies but because he is the type of player that who sets the stage for the other protagonists to shine.

Perhaps the best example in recent memory is that Odegaard, in terms of his profile and not his actual quality is similar to David Silva while Nwaneri is more reminiscent of Kevin De Bruyne.

While Silva also won games singlehandedly for Manchester City, his job was was to emerge as a match-winner while pulling the strings while De Bruyne would terrorise teams in the final third due to being a player who can especially change games in specific moments — as demonstrated by Nwaneri’s stunning goal against Girona in the Champions League recently.

Nwaneri’s game is less one-dimensional than Odegaard

Another area which shows that Nwaneri could be Arsenal’s starting number 10 over Odegaard is the fact that the former’s game is less one-dimensional than the latter’s.

The Arsenal captain, while being one of the best players in Europe often relies on combining with others to play his best football — with Odegaard’s partnership with Saka being one of the finest attributes he brings to the table. The 26-year-old thrives playing in tight spaces where he can play intricate one-two’s and bypass a press and in games where he is unable to do that, he often struggles to have much of an impact.

Against Leicester and in previous games, Nwaneri has shown that he too is comfortable playing in small pockets but he is a player that also thrives when gives acres of space to operate it.

The Englishman not only has a final ball in his locker but he can also dribble past players at will, both in central areas and out wide — a feature Odegaard lacks as he lacks the engine to carry the ball and drive past players at speed.

As a result, when Arsenal are in transition, the Copa del Rey-winner finds it a challenge to get his side up the pitch and carve teams out — with his potential successor being a far better carrier of the ball and more pertinently, a superior athlete who takes risks while the former being more prone to retaining possession.

Nwaneri also seems hungry to score goals, a trait that the Drammen-born midfielder has not really shown since scoring 15 in the Premier League during the 2022/2023 season.

Odegaard no longer takes as many shots on goal and the modern-day attacking midfielder must go out of his way to score goals — with Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham being prime examples.

Mikel Arteta has already changed Odegaard’s position from attacking midfield

Last season, a major tactical decision that Mikel Arteta made was tasking Odegaard to play deeper.

The experiment worked wonders as the Norwegian skipper assisted Arsenal in building out from the back far from efficiently than before due to how technically gifted and press-resistant he is and arguably having the best season of his career.

But Arteta’s decision also spoke volumes of how he seemingly views Odegaard as a controller. With Nwaneri being much more of a game-changer, if he continues to develop at the rate his exceptional potential suggests — the Arsenal boss could perhaps opt for him as his primary number 10 due to Odegaard already showing that he is at his best in a deeper position.