‘A Point to Prove’—The Unsung Hero Driving Arsenal to New Heights

The Gunners have already put on a handful of statement performances.

Arsenal have caught the eye in the early stages of the season. | Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Arsenal’s 2026–27 season is not even a month old, and yet something already feels different about the Gunners.

While last season was built around defensive rigidity and an unwanted reputation as set-piece specialists, Arsenal have turned it up a level this year. The 3–0 thumping of Manchester City in the Community Shield felt like a statement at the first time of asking, while Mikel Arteta’s side flexed the quality of title-favorites as they put Chelsea to the sword, albeit in a narrow win on Sunday.

The catalyst for both victories? None other than a certain Martin Ødegaard on a mission to make up for lost time.

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Martin Ødegaard’s Dominant Start to the Season

Ødegaard is firing on all cylinders. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

At this stage last season, Ødegaard had already suffered a shoulder injury that he would aggravate in just the fourth match of the campaign. His comeback lasted 38 minutes before a fresh knee injury sent him back to the sidelines and set the tone for what would go on to be a bitterly disappointing campaign, from a personal perspective, for the Norway international.

Ødegaard made just 24 appearances in the Premier League last season, ending with a solitary goal to his name across all competitions as the injury bug returned a further four times before the summer. Amid concerns about his fitness were questions about whether the Gunners captain was on the decline, and there were even suggestions this summer that Ødegaard could be heading for the exit door.

That speculation seems to have struck a nerve with Ødegaard. With only four games into the new campaign played, the 27-year-old has already celebrated his third goal of the season, having pulled the strings in massive fixtures against City and Chelsea already this year.

As Arteta admitted, the chip on Ødegaard’s once-injured shoulder appears to be pushing him to new heights.

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“He’s fit, he feels confident, I think one of the highest [spirits] that I’ve seen him, and he has a point to prove from last season as well, and after missing so much football,” Arteta reflected.

“When that happens, Kai [Havertz] the same, Bukayo [Saka] the same ... we miss so many attacking players last season for long, long periods, and I don’t know how many times they’ve played together those two in the last year or so, but probably not much, and when you start to feel the chemistry they have between them and what they can produce, it’s great.

“For me, he gets to that point because he’s enjoying his football, and when you are that, you have to enjoy what you do, you have to play with real intent, and that’s what I love to see him. Today, he was running forward, he took shots, he created so many situations for his teammates, so it was great.”

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Renewed Goal Threat Limits Need for Pure Striker

Ødegaard and Kai Havertz (right) are doing just fine without a natural goalscorer. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Despite what the high spirits around the Emirates might suggest, there was an air of disappointment towards Arsenal’s limited business in the summer transfer window, particularly in attack.

Young winger Christos Tzolis was signed to replace both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli. Unsuccessful pursuits of Julián Alvarez, Vinícius Júnior and Chelsea goalscorer Morgan Rogers are no secret.

✍️ OPINION: Arsenal’s Transfer Mistake Covered by Bigger Chelsea Blunder

Having found open-play goals somewhat hard to come by last season, Arsenal’s failure to reinforce that area of the pitch this summer was the biggest criticism from rival fans, but Ødegaard’s resurgence has already gone a long way to alleviating those concerns.

Dovetailing perfectly with Kai Havertz, Ødegaard has reintroduced some much-needed fluidity to the Arsenal forward line, leaving Premier League defenses unsure of how to stop him.

“I think he’s an unbelievable player, we saw that over the last years,” Havertz said of his captain. “This season, I think he’s back to his best. I think he’s going to help us a lot this season.”

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