Martin Odegaard is leading the Premier League in a stat he hasn’t topped since 2024

Arsenal’s captain is back to his best.

Already on four goals for the season and putting on multiple man of the match displays, Martin Odegaard has returned to unbelievable form. Mikel Arteta has given him a specific tactical instruction to play higher, freeing him from responsibilities in build-up play that came with a less experienced midfield around him. It’s safe to say it is bearing fruit.

And now the data is catching up with the eye test.

According to Opta Analyst, Odegaard leads the Premier League for chances created from open play this season with 11 — level with Pascal Gross and just ahead of James McAtee, Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford.

That’s a stat he hasn’t topped since 2024 when, according to WhoScored, he played more accurate through balls and created more chances from open play than any other player across Europe’s top five leagues.

The 2023-24 season was the last time he was really fully fit before injuries derailed the following two seasons. Last season, he scored just one goal for Arsenal in all competitions, and his declining form left a question mark over whether Odegaard could ever recapture his peak again.

A shoulder injury, a knee issue, months on the sidelines. The player who had once come close to dragging Arsenal to a title by providing 15 goals and seven assists in a season felt like a distant memory.

But now he’s confident and firing again, combining well with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, who are also both fully fit again. With the right players around him and the right tactical freedom, he is well and truly back and he’s producing the sort of numbers that put him among the very best in European football again.

That will be massive for Arsenal’s hopes of going back-to-back in the Premier League and one step further in the Champions League.