It was another bittersweet ending to a Premier League season for Arsenal this year as, despite coming on leaps and bounds, they once again just fell short in the face of the indomitable Manchester City.
It might take another summer of significant investments from the Kroenkes to help the club finally get over the line, but fans shouldn't forget the myriad of incredible talents they already have on their books, welcomed in by Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar.
Talents like Declan Rice, Ben White, and even Kai Havertz had a storming end to the campaign, but there is another crucial player who has come to life at the Emirates, a player who is currently worth ten times more than veteran midfielder Thomas Partey.
Martin Ødegaard's Arsenal career
The star in question is captain fantastic himself, Martin Ødegaard, who has become one of Arsenal's most important players both on and off the pitch over the last few years.
The Norwegian first joined the club on a six-month loan deal from Real Madrid in January 2021, and while he wasn't poor by any stretch of the imagination, it would be fair to say that his return of two goals and two assists in 20 games was somewhat underwhelming in the eyes of many.
However, Arteta and Edu, being the footballing masterminds they appear to be, opted to sign the former wonderkid on a permanent deal that summer for just £34m, and to say that was a brilliant decision today would be a colossal understatement.
Appearances
20
40
45
48
Goals
2
7
15
11
Assists
2
5
7
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.20
0.30
0.48
0.45
In the three seasons since, the "exceptional" midfielder, as described by Pep Guardiola, has gone on to make another 133 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 32 goals, providing 36 assists, and taking on the captain's armband, all while still being just 25 years old.
Not only is the mercurial talent efficient in what he does and a brilliant leader on and off the pitch, but he also plays the game beautifully, often pulling off mesmerising feats of close control to beat a player, keep the ball, or play an inch-perfect through ball to Bukayo Saka out wide.
In all ways imaginable, Arsenal have a genuine world-beater for their club captain, and with his performances improving year-on-year, it's understandable to see his impressive valuation today.
Martin Ødegaard's valuation in 2024
According to the CIES Football Observatory, Odegaard is worth €100m, which comes to around £85m, or a whopping £51m more than Arsenal paid to sign him almost three years ago – talk about value for money.
1
Erling Haaland
€250m(£213mm)
Manchester City
2
Phil Foden
€200m(£170m)
Manchester City
3
Bukayo Saka
€150m(£128m)
Arsenal
3
Julian Alvarez
€150m(£128m)
Manchester City
4*
Martin Ødegaard
€100m(£85m)
Arsenal
*Alongside 13 other players
Unsurprisingly, this new price makes the Norwegian the fourth most valuable player in the Premier League, alongside Cole Palmer, Gabriel Martinelli, and William Saliba.
It also means he is now worth considerably more than teammate Partey, or about ten times more, to be more specific, as the CIES price the Ghanaian international at just €10m, which converts to just under £9m.
This low valuation of a player who cost the Gunners around £45m in the summer of 2020 is likely due to three things: he is set to turn 31 next month, his contract expires next summer, and he has missed a colossal 72 games for club and country since the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
In all, while the former Atlético Madrid ace is clearly a talented player, he's too unreliable and on the wrong side of 30, so it's not all that surprising to see reports linking him with an exit this summer.
That said, while it's a shame that one of the side's star midfielders has seen his value plummet in the last season or so, Odegaard's soaring price is an excellent sign for the future, and with him as the captain, there is no telling what the Gunners will be able to achieve in the coming years.
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