Forget Martin Odegaard, John Obi Mikel says another Arsenal player is also back to his best

Martin Odegaard has been unreal so far this season.

With four goals in five games, and as many Man of the Match awards already, the Arsenal skipper is back to his best.

Mikel Arteta has given him a specific tactical instruction to play higher and more freely, and now the Norwegian is operating at the peak of his powers.

But John Obi Mikel thinks there is another Arsenal player who deserves the same sort of attention. The former Chelsea midfielder hasn’t held back in being critical of Arteta’s side over the last couple of years, making his latest verdict pretty surprising.

John Obi Mikel says Bukayo Saka is back to his best

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel said: “Martin Odegaard looks for me like a new signing. He looks fresh. He looks sharp. He’s creating chances, scoring goals. He’s back to his best.

“Saka looks like he’s back to his best as well. He has — it looks like he has something to prove. And this team right now, they are the best team in the league. There’s no question about that.”

It’s not surprising to see Arsenal play better football when these two are fit and firing.

As Gary Neville recently highlighted, Saka’s telepathic connection with Odegaard and Ben White down the right flank makes Arsenal’s attack virtually impossible to contain for 90 minutes.

Paul Scholes also pointed out that a fully fit Kai Havertz, as well as Saka and Odegaard, is making the difference too.

Odegaard may be grabbing the headlines right now, and rightly so, but Saka is still a huge part of Arsenal’s frontline. After a couple of injury-disrupted seasons, he has a point to prove now.

Thierry Henry recently challenged Saka to achieve a 30-goals-and-assists season. With three goals in the opening four games, he’s off to a great start.