Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (2025)

Will Ødegaard play?

Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (1)

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When the fixture list was released andArsenal were drawn to play away to Aston Villa, away to north London rivals Tottenham, and away toPremier League champions Manchester City in their first five games, the Gunners would have known they were in for a tough start. However, a small injury crisis combined with a controversial red card forDeclan Rice against Brighton meansMikel Arteta's side, just three games into the season, may already feel like they are going into a pivotal week in the Premier League title race. After just signing a new three year contract at the club, Spaniard Arteta will know how important this period will be.


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Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (2)

M. Arteta Age: 42

Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (3)

Arsenal FC

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Having drawn in that game against the Seagulls, Arsenal are already two points behind the relentless Man City. Lose the north London derby, and at the Etihad, and they could find themselves already eight points behindPep Guardiola's juggernauts. And with an early injury crisis emerging at the Emirates, that may be a genuine fear. New signingMikel Merino finds himself out for six to eight weeks after the midfielder got injured in his first training session with the Gunners.


Market Value

Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (4)

M. Ødegaard Attacking Midfield

110.00m


The international break conjured up yet more bad news for the Gunners, as Martin Ødegaard and defenderRiccardo Calafiori limped off for their nations but Arteta was positive about Ødegaardand Gabriel Jesus' prospects in his pre-match press conference on Friday - the Brazilian has returned to team training. OnØdegaard, Arteta stated: “We need some more tests. Let’s see what happens in the next day or so. He is super positive about everything. Martin wants to be there every single day. Let’s see what happens”.


Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (5)


Arsenal could potentially be without €437m worth of talent


Whilst there still remains a degree of hope that Jesus and Calafiori may be available, Arteta will, without doubt, be heading to Tottenham, with far from his strongest squad. In fact if all of the doubtful players fail to prove their fitness, Arsenal could be missing as much as €437 million's worth of talent when we look at the market values of those largely expected to be absent. There had also been doubts aboutJurrien Timber (Market value: €38m) after he limped off in Arsenal's last game against Brighton, but he is now expected to be available.


Stats

Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (6)

D. Rice Defensive Midfield

Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (7)

Arsenal FC

Career stats
All competitions

Games

54

Goals

7

Assists

10


Midfield is the area where the Gunners appear most affected, with Rice and Merino unavailable. Arteta will need to find solutions without the running power and defensive work of Rice, and the pressing ability, energy, and creativity of his Norwegian captain Ødegaard - if he misses out. However the Gunners have a versatile squad, with a number of players able to play in at least two positions. Arsenal have the smallest first team squad in the division with just 22 senior players. Five of those are arguably left-backs, but each of them is able to play in a number of roles across the backline, or even in midfield with the likes of Timber and Oleksandr Zinchenko.


Player Comparison Jurrien Timber Oleksandr Zinchenko Arsenal FC Arsenal FC €38.00m Market Value €38.00m 23 Age 27 Centre-Back Position Left-Back Jun 30, 2028 Contract until Jun 30, 2026 Full Player Comparison


The importance of Ødegaard


Since arriving at Arsenal on a permanent transfer from Real Madrid for €35m back in 2022, Ødegaard has missed just four Premier League games for the Gunners. That equates to him playing 94.9% of Arsenal's matches over the past two seasons (and the first three games of this campaign). Not only is the Norwegian the club captain, but he sets the pace both in and out of possession. He's often the first to engage and press, setting the trap for the rest of the team. Whilst he is also Arsenal's most creative player, creating 102 chances last season - only Manchester United'sBruno Fernandes created more (113).


Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (12)


As you can see in the graphic above, Arsenal just aren't the same without their primary playmaker. Whilst the goals conceded rate stays the same at 1 goal conceded per game, the goals scored per game rises from 1.7 goals per game (gpg) without Ødegaard to 2.1 with him in the team. In terms of points and wins, Arsenal have also been much more successful, with a win % of 66.4% with the Norwegian and just 52.6% without him. The average points also drops from 2.1ppg to 1.7ppg without Ødegaard in the side.


How Arsenal could line up against Tottenham


Whilst Arsenal could be facing the prospect of having just 15 senior first-team players fit for the north London derby this Sunday, the versatility of the players in their ranks may ease that burden. Of those 13 outfield players, nine of them have played in more than one position for Arteta's side, with centre-backsGabriel and William Saliba, and midfieldersJorginho andThomas Partey the only exceptions. Despite being without three key midfielders for the trip to Spurs, defenders Timber and Zinchenko, and forwardsKai Havertz andLeandro Trossard could all feasibly play in Arteta's midfield three.


Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (13)


It seems most likely that Havertz could revert to the midfield role that he played for much of the first half of last season. Without Rice and potentially Ødegaard, Arsenal are going to be losing a lot of legs in midfield - Havertz, who covers a lot of ground and presses very intelligently, could help fill that gap. With Jesus also a doubt, it could mean Trossard might get the nod up front, and could even end up playing a hybrid role with Havertz. That would mean a recall forGabriel Martinelli on the left-wing, with his pace potentially being a key weapon against Tottenham's high line. Jorginho is also likely to come into the midfield alongside Partey. If Calafiori makes it, he could even come in at left-back, and Timber could move into midfield. The same idea could be formulated with Timber at left-back and Zinchenko in midfield, but there may be fears the Ukrainian doesn't have the legs required in such an intense game.

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Potentially without €437m worth of talent - How Arsenal could line up for the North London derby (2025)
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