Arsenal could sign the perfect Odegaard rival in £87m “genius”

Despite spending Christmas Day atop the Premier League, Arsenal currently find themselves in fourth place, five points off first-place Liverpool and three behind Manchester City in second place.

Mikel Arteta saw his side lose back-to-back league games against West Ham United and Fulham before crashing out of the FA Cup against Liverpool, with only the winter break putting a stop to the Gunners’ slide.

While much of this current slump can be blamed on the frontline – one goal in 63 shots is hard to ignore – the rest of the team hasn’t been great either.

So, it is unsurprising that the latest player touted for a move to N5 could come in and provide the perfect competition for Martin Odegaard.

Arsenal considering move for former Chelsea youth star

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are among several Premier League clubs incredibly interested in Bayern Munich’s outrageously talented youngster, Jamal Musiala.

The report names Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool as the other interested parties alongside the Gunners and comes off the back of transfers expert Fabrizio Romano (via Caught Offside) confirming that the former Chelsea youth product has yet to agree terms for a new deal with Bayern.

While the lack of progress on a new deal might help the interested parties somewhat, the fact that the 20-year-old still has over two years remaining on his deal certainly does not.

These two and a half years combined with his importance to the Bavarian giants means that this won’t be a cheap deal to complete, with TEAMtalk reporting that he is valued at around €100m – £87m – by the Germans.

That said, Edu and Co have shown that they are happy to spend big for the right player, and Musiala could be the perfect rival for Odegaard, and if anything, he could even eventually replace him.

How Jamal Musiala compares to Martin Odegaard

Odegaard was named Arsenal captain in the summer of 2022, and in the year and a half since, he has wholly justified the club’s decision. The Norwegian international was already the captain of his national team, and his impressive match intelligence and leadership qualities seamlessly transferred from country to club.

However, while he was outstanding for the Gunners last season – scoring 15 goals and providing seven assists – he has been rather underwhelming this season, scoring just four goals and providing three assists in 17 league starts.

That is where Musiala could come in and either provide some much-needed competition in the attacking midfield area or outright replace the former Real Madrid man if he cannot raise his level.

The German “genius”, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has only started eight Bundesliga games this season but has already matched Odegaard’s overall league goal contributions with five goals and two assists.

He was even more potent last season, registering 22 goal involvements – 12 goals and ten assists – in just 26 Bundesliga starts for the German behemoths.

That said, how do the pair compare when looking at their underlying numbers? Well, when it comes to the most relevant metrics for players in their position, it is hard to pick an outright winner.

For example, Odegaard edges it in progressive passes, passing accuracy and shot-creating actions per 90. In contrast, Musiala comes out on top for non-penalty expected goals and assists, progressive carries, goal-creating actions and successful take-ons per 90.

The clear advantage the young German has on his side is age, as at just 20, he is five years the Arsenal star’s junior, and if talent scout Jacek Kulig is correct that Musiala is “destined for greatness”, then he could well surpass Odegaard’s output when he reaches his age.

At the end of the day, Arsenal are in a poor run of form, and their captain has not been at his best either, so if they can find the money, signing Musiala could be the perfect way to coax him back to his best or have a ready-made replacement if he doesn’t improve.

A tantalising prospect either way.