It was a case of the same old for Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead against the visiting Bournemouth but ended up coming away empty-handed in a match that perfectly summed up their domestic campaign.
Moreover, while he provided an assist for Declan Rice, it was another uninspiring performance from club captain Martin Odegaard, who picked up a 5/10 match rating from GOAL’s Stephen Darwin and made a mess of marking Evanilson for the winning goal.
The Norwegian’s poor form is now a serious concern, but in positive news, the club might have found a solution in a player who could get the best back out of him, a player compared to Kylian Mbappé.
Arsenal's transfer news
While the transfer target in question is someone who could get the best back out of Odegaard in the coming seasons, the club have also been credited with interest in some players who could be seen as out-and-out replacements for the midfielder, like Florian Wirtz and Rayan Cherki.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former could reportedly be available for around £111m this summer, and while that is an outrageous sum of money, it might not be entirely unreasonable, as at just 22 years old, he has scored 16 goals and provided 13 assists in 43 games for Bayer Leverkusen this term.
Cherki, on the other hand, could cost far less at just £30m, and that does seem like a bargain considering the fact he’s already scored 12 goals and provided 19 assists in 42 games for Lyon so far this season.
However, if the Gunners want to get the best back out of their captain, they’d be better off acting on their interest in Eintrach Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitiké.
According to a recent report from journalist Christian Falk, as relayed by Caught Offside, Arsenal want the French forward this summer.
However, Liverpool are also said to want the free-scoring forward, and worse yet, the German side want around €100m for their star striker, which is about £85m.
It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given his immense ability, he is one worth fighting for, especially as he’d get the best back out of Odegaard, and he’s been compared to Mbappé.
Why Ekitiké could revive Odegaard
So, before we get into the reasons why Ekitiké could revive Odegaard, it’s worth examining this comparison to Mbappé and where it comes from.
It stems from journalist Graeme Bailey, who three years ago reported that there were some in France who thought that the young forward was set to become “the new Mbappé.”
Now, it’s fair to say he hasn’t quite hit the incredible heights of the Real Madrid man, but it’s not hard to see why people would make the comparison, as the Frankfurt gem is a young, exciting and pretty free-scoring forward who, according to The Athletic’s Alex Barker, likes to “drop into wider areas” and “can create a chance for someone from absolutely nothing.”
It’s these traits that make the comparison seem more reasonable, and then when you add them to his raw output, it’s not hard to see why he could help the Gunners captain get back to his best.
For example, this season alone has seen the 22-year-old monster score 22 goals and provide 11 assists in just 46 appearances, totalling 3466 minutes of action.
Appearances
46
Minutes
3466′
Goals
22
Assists
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.71
Minutes per Goal Involvement
105.03′
In other words, the sensational striker is averaging a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 105.03 minutes.
With a forward that prolific and creative starting ahead of him, the former Real Madrid wonderkid would undoubtedly see his goal and assist tallies soar.
Moreover, with the Reims-born star liking to drop back and drift out wide, opposition defenders would have to spend more time trying to cover him off and mark him in games, thus allowing the Drammen-born maestro more space to create.
Ultimately, while he wouldn’t be cheap, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Ekitiké this summer, as not only would he make the team more dangerous, but he could also help get Odegaard back to his imperious best.
He'd make Saliba & Gabriel unplayable: Arsenal to make bid for £25m star
Arsenal are wasting no time in making reinforcements ahead of the summer transfer window.
ByEthan LambMay 5, 2025