Mikel Arteta confirms World Cup has transformed two Arsenal stars that feel like new signings

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal attack is looking revitalised

It wasn't just about the win but the manner of the victory. Beating Chelsea is one thing but doing it with such quality despite several hairy moments at the back sends a powerful message to the rest of the Premier League. Arsenal are not going away.

More specifically for Mikel Arteta, the importance and poise of purring scorers Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard set the tone. They are both crucial players, Odegaard more so as captain but now they look fresh, at the top of their game and ready to kick on again this season.

Arteta has always adored Havertz and it's plain to see why. Viktor Gyokeres did not play a single minute in the opening two matches, he came on against the Blues but in this form, Havertz will take some shifting.

He is the perfect centre-forward for this particular Arsenal team because he glues everything together. He finished excellently for the opener and then created the second with a sensational dummy that fooled the Chelsea backline.

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Keep him fit and he could be on course to record the best personal campaign of his career to date because he looks hungry, sharper and more experienced. Germany's World Cup shortcomings were a blessing in disguise for the Gunners.

They were eliminated by Paraguay in the Round of 32 and that gave Havertz a longer period of rest which enabled both the pain to subside and offered him the chance to reflect on a gruelling season last term.

Yes it ended in Premier League title glory but after scoring early in the Champions League final, the penalty-shootout defeat to PSG in Budapest would have really stung the German.

However, he's carried on where he left off at club level and Arteta admits his frontman is undoubtedly in the groove, explaining: "Yeah, he looks, again, he looks happy, he looks settled, he looks happy, his personal life, some great things have happened as well, he feels fit, he's training every day, he has this routine right now, and he's scoring goals, and not only that, but it's been an amazing work for the team."

The same concept also applies to Odegaard. Last season was tinged with frustration despite ending the club's 22-year wait for a Premier League title.

Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are in spellbinding form for Arsenal

He was hampered by a problematic knee issue that just wouldn't fully heal, limiting his involvement. Some had indicated he might have one eye on a historic World Cup with Norway, who qualified for a first World Cup since 1998.

Wherever the truth lies, the World Cup was great for Odegaard. He captained his country with pride and managed to rebuild fitness and shine as the heartbeat of the team.

It meant he returned to Arsenal with fire in his belly, ready to compete again. There were no questions over his future and now, in this form, it's hard to believe there were ever rumours that he could be sold.

This summer could not have gone better for the playmaker and now he looks back to his best, as Arteta explained: "Well first of all that he's fit, he feels confident, I think one of the highest that I've seen him, and he has a point to prove from last season as well, and after missing so much football.

"When that happens, Kai 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."

When Havertz and Odegaard in this sort of mood, Arsenal look irresistible. They are two players that look capable of cranking Arsenal up another level.

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