Arsenal Fans Want £240k p/w Man Dropped After ‘Embarrassing’ Display vs West Ham

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal dropped additional points in the all-important Premier League title race on Saturday afternoon, losing 1-0 to fellow capital club West Ham United – and one man in particular has received the majority of the post-match criticism.

Once again, the north Londoners are chasing the table toppers, this time Arne Slot’s Liverpool, and are well aware of the consequences of dropping points between now and the end of the 2024/25 season in May.

Jarrod Bowen started and closed the scoring for Graham Potter’s side at the London Stadium, and Arsenal’s steep task was made much more difficult when Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off for bringing down Mohamed Kudus on the halfway line.

Martin Odegaard, notably in Bukayo Saka’s absence, has borne the most of the creative burden, but the Norway captain, largely regarded as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League, is battling to fill the hole.

Since joining Arsenal from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 after a six-month loan spell, the offensive midfielder has been vital in the club’s transition from top-four contenders to regular title contenders.

However, without Saka alongside him, he has struggled to emulate the Englishman’s creative exploits, as evidenced by his sluggish performance against West Ham, who are 14 places behind them in the Premier League rankings.

Odegaard, who played in a midfield three with Declan Rice and Thomas Partey, failed to generate anything noteworthy despite 89 touches of the ball and finished the game with a 0% (0/6 crossing success percentage).

Although not a direct hindrance to his game, he also lost possession 20 times and was inefficient with his passing, as indicated by his 86% (60/70) success rate. That prevented Arsenal from posing a threat on the attack.

And Arsenal fans, who took to X (previously Twitter) immediately after their defeat, chastised the Norwegian for his lack of leadership. Someone said: “Odegaard’s performance as a leader since Saka got injured has been embarrassing.”

“I hate to say it, but Odegaard has performed poorly this season. You need your captain to step up in critical situations, but he has been hiding.” One fan commented, while another added, “Can’t believe you guys were saying Odegaard is better than Ozil.”

On Saka’s eventual return, one fan admitted that moving Odegaard to the bench and replacing him with the young and motivated Ethan Nwaneri would be just what the doctor ordered.

When Saka returns, move Odegaard to the bench and start Nwaneri in his place. He has been a disgrace, failing to step up when we needed him the most.

Another stated, “Odegaard’s weight of pass is not at the level. Always, the receiver (on the right) has to modify their run to get it.” One last supporter commented: “I’ve never seen a weaker player than Martin Odegaard, gets bullied every game.”