Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is feeling fit and refreshed as he looks to put a challenging 2025-26 season behind him. Despite leading his team to a title, Odegaard battled a series of injuries that significantly impacted his ability to consistently perform on the pitch. He described the past season as a "big struggle" with "a lot of difficult moments" due to missing extensive game time.
"It is the worst thing for a footballer to not be able to be on the pitch and I had quite a lot of weird injuries, and bad luck," Odegaard stated. He emphasized the importance of ending the season with a title and a strong World Cup performance with Norway, where he started five of six games and recorded four assists. This period, followed by a break, has left him feeling prepared for the new season.
Odegaard revealed his intention to use the past season's frustrations as motivation. "What I have just worked on is to use that as motivation for this year and to come back stronger. And to use all of those experiences in a positive way," he said.
Manager Mikel Arteta expressed his eagerness to have a fully fit Odegaard available. "Well, he missed five or six months for different things and it was extremely difficult for him to get any momentum," Arteta commented. "So I'm sure this year if we can maintain him fit, available with the players around him, we're going to see a very different Martin." Arteta also noted a palpable determination from Odegaard since returning to pre-season training, sensing a strong desire to prove himself, which he believes the team needs.
Odegaard also noted an immediate connection with teammate Bruno Guimaraes in their first start together. "Sometimes you are just in the flow. You need to find that on the pitch," Odegaard said of his performance. "All of us were flowing pretty good out there. I will just try to keep that up and keep going."