The absence of Bukayo Saka has been blamed by journalist Henry Winter for Arsenal’s dismal performance against Nottingham Forest. According to the former Times writer, the Norwegian playmaker loses 10% of his game when the England winger isn’t available.
Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle United moved them closer to the crown, and the Gunners lost points for the third time in six Premier League games. As a result, they have been criticised. Odegaard has been under fire, and Winter claims that when Saka isn’t playing, he doesn’t perform at his best.
Winter: Odegaard ‘Loses 10 Percent’ When Bukayo Saka is Absent
The Gunners have seen a natural downturn in creativity without the winger
According to Sofascore, Odegaard only produced one significant opportunity against Forest, and that was from his lone crucial pass during his 85 minutes on the pitch. Their lack of a goal threat in the East Midlands was mostly caused by the Norwegian’s struggles against Forest, which included six cross attempts that resulted in only one accurate pass in, no shots, and 15 possession losses.
Premier League stats for Martin Odegaard: Arsenal’s season-by-season record
Time of year
Played games
Contributions to the goal
2020–2021
14
3.
2021–2022
36
11.
2022–2023
37
22
2023–2024
35
18
2024–2025
19.
5.
In an interview with the Back Pages Podcast, journalist Henry Winter criticised manager Mikel Arteta for failing to acquire a striker in recent years, arguing that Odegaard loses 10% of his “excellent” game when Saka is out because he is unable to combine with the attackers in the same way. He stated:
Their most offensive and dangerous player in the first half was [Riccardo] Calafiori, who was brought in as a left-back. In fact, he hit the post after sort of getting the ball onto his right foot.
“This is terrible negligence on Arsenal’s part, really. They need a No. 9 pick, according to their supporters, who have been saying it since this preseason but likely since a few others as well.
“I totally agree with David [Ornstein] alluding to the fact that Saka is not there, and when Bukayo Saka is not there, Martin Odegaard loses about 10 percent of his excellent game.”
Arsenal’s Lack of Creativity Has All But Killed Title Chances
Liverpool are slowly running away with the league title
When Saka was injured against Crystal Palace before Christmas, Arsenal had scored 32 league goals in little under 17 games. Since then, they have only managed to score 17 goals in 11 games, which has negatively impacted Odegaard as well.
Due to his inability to share the creative load with Saka and the lack of a focal point for creating chances, Odegaard has struggled in recent weeks. The Norwegian has only contributed five goals this season in the Premier League, with just two of those coming since the beginning of December.
In lieu of Kai Havertz, Arteta chose Mikel Merino to lead the line. Although it worked well against lowly Leicester City, Arsenal has already lost both of their games against West Ham United and Forest without scoring.
It’s not ideal for Arteta, but as Winter hinted, their “ranked negligence” has led to their own issues. They are only eight points behind the team in fifth place, so Champions League football could not be guaranteed just yet if they continue to struggle in front of goal.
