It would be fair to say that, despite being just five days old, the new year has started brilliantly for Arsenal.
On New Year’s Day, the Gunners’ biggest Premier League title rivals, Manchester City, were held to a 1-1 draw away to Sunderland, and then a couple of days later dropped two more points at home to Chelsea.
On top of the Citizens starting to stumble, Mikel Arteta’s side have found some form in recent weeks and since their defeat to Aston Villa at the start of last month, have won seven games on the bounce.
Moreover, with the transfer window now open, Arsenal have been linked with several exciting internationals, including one who could be another Martin Odegaard-esque signing.
Arsenal target another Martin Odegaard
Arsenal have looked good over the last couple of weeks, smashing Aston Villa 4-1 at home and then holding their nerve away to Bournemouth to come out 3-2 winners.
Transfer Focus
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One of the club’s most impressive performers in recent games has been Odegaard, who looks like he could be on his way back to his very best.
For example, against the Villans, he played a lovely ball into the penalty area for Martin Zubimendi’s goal and then, against the Cherries, he provided the assist for Declan Rice’s first strike.
Moreover, he also seems to be getting back into the swing of running games from a deeper position when the situation demands he do so.
So, with all that in mind, it’s not hard to see why the club would be so keen to bring in someone who could be seen as another Odegaard-type signing this year.
At least that’s what they appear keen on doing, according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal are interested in Brahim Diaz.
In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Gunners have already presented Real Madrid with an offer of around €50m, which is about £43m.
The story claims that the North Londoners are keen to wrap up this deal as soon as possible, and that while Real are not opposed to selling the international ace, they are still deliberating the prospect.
In all, it could be a complicated and somewhat costly transfer to get over the line, but given Diaz’s ability, it’s one Arsenal should pursue, especially as he could be another Odegaard-esque addition.
Why Diaz would be another Odegaard for Arsenal
Now, it might be a little surface-level, but the first unavoidable similarity between the potential transfer of Diaz and Odegaard is that it would be another example of Arsenal signing someone from Real Madrid.
However, the comparison goes deeper than just the club they have or potentially would come from.
For example, like the Gunners’ number eight, the “astonishing” 26-year-old, as dubbed by Mina Rzouki, is someone who can either play as the most creative midfielder or even out on the right.
Furthermore, like the Norwegian, he is also a crucial member of his national team, scoring 12 goals and providing two assists in just 19 senior caps for Morocco.
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Finally, perhaps the most significant point of comparison is that FBref ranks the Arsenal captain as the fifth-most similar midfielder to the Real Madrid star across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League, and the Europa League over the last 365 days.
The best way to understand how such a conclusion has been reached is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair ranks so closely.
In this instance, these metrics include things like expected goals, key passes, expected assists, clearances, crosses and more, all per 90.
Diaz & Odegaard
Statistics per 90
Diaz
Odegaard
Expected Goals
0.08
0.10
Expected Assists
0.34
0.24
Key Passes
2.86
2.81
Crosses
1.43
1.57
Clearances
0.57
0.56
Tackles
0.57
0.56
All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 League Season
Ultimately, while he might not be the biggest name in the game, adding Diaz to Arteta’s squad could be just what Arsenal need to ensure they finally get over the line this season.
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