Arsenal have had to deal with plenty of setbacks this season, but after their win on Wednesday night, there is a sense of positivity around the club.
Mikel Arteta’s side knew it was a must-win game against Tottenham Hotspur, and instead of crumbling under pressure, they rose to the occasion and came back from a goal down to win 2-1, which is even more impressive considering the absence of star attacker Bukayo Saka.
The Englishman is undoubtedly the Gunners’ most important player, but fortunately, his partner in crime and club captain, Martin Odegaard, looked back to his very best and helped run the show from midfield.
Arteta will be hoping that he can continue that form into the rest of the campaign now, but he could soon have some fresh competition, as recent reports have linked the club with a sensationally talented midfielder who could be the Odegaard to Ethan Nwaeri’s Saka a few years down the line.
Arsenal chase midfield gem
According to a recent report from the Telegraph, Arsenal are one of several sides incredibly interested in signing Norwegian wonderkid Sverre Nypan.
The 18-year-old talent is already a mainstay in Rosenborg’s first team, shares an agent with Erling Haaland, and according to the report, a decision on his future will be made in ‘the coming weeks.’
If the Gunners want to secure the phenom’s services this month, they’ll need to stump up around £10m, which might not be a lot in the grand scheme of modern football, but it is undoubtedly significant for a teenager outside of the top five leagues.
That said, it could well prove to be a bargain a few years from now, especially if the sensational midfielder can form a brilliant partnership with Nwaneri in the mould of Odegaard and Saka.
Why Arsenal should sign Nypan
It would be fair to say that in this Arsenal team, the most important attacking partnership is between Saka off the right and Odegaard playing his hybrid ten/eight role, which Arteta could recreate a few years from now with Nwaneri and Nypan.
We have already seen this season that, in the absence of the Gunners’ number seven, the manager prefers to start the 17-year-old off the right due to his ability to cut inside and fire off a shot with his left or go on the outside and lay off the ball from the corner.
So, if the young Englishman is already being used as a backup for his older compatriot, there is no reason to think the same couldn’t happen with the two Norwegians, if the Rosenberg ace signs, that is.
In fact, he played a similar role for the Norwegian side last season, starting 22 games in central midfield and, as his heat map shows, floating out wide during games.
Now, he did favour playing on the left-hand side last season, but as analyst Ben Mattinson says, he’s “completely ambipedal,” meaning he favours neither foot and could therefore dictate play from practically anywhere on the pitch with no problem at all.
On top of that, Mattinson actively describes the teenager as an “all-phase midfielder with the ability to control the pace of the game” which, again, at his very best is what the Arsenal captain can do.
With that said, there is every chance that the “elite level talent,” as Mattinson dubbed him, could end up being even better than his national team teammate, as despite being so young, he’s already racked up 60 senior appearances in which he’s scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists, which is incredibly impressive.
Appearances
60
Goals
13
Assists
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.40
Ultimately, £10m is a lot to spend on a teenager, but based on his performances in Norway, the way he is spoken about by those in the know and the prospect of seeing him develop alongside Nwaneri, Arsenal should be doing all they can to bring Nypan to N5 this month.
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