Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the Premier League. But inside the title charge, a storm is brewing around their captain.
Martin Ødegaard — once the heartbeat of Mikel Arteta’s revolution — is now being told to consider walking away.
Yes, you read that right.
After Arsenal’s emphatic 4-1 demolition of Tottenham on Sunday (23 February 2026), attention should have been on Eberechi Eze’s brilliance and Viktor Gyokeres’ firepower. Instead, the conversation has shifted to the man wearing the armband — and whether his time at the Emirates is quietly fading.
Ødegaard has been a pillar since his £30m move from Real Madrid in 2021, racking up over 200 appearances and evolving into Arteta’s on-field general. For a period, he was arguably Arsenal’s most influential player — the tempo-setter, the creative nerve centre, the symbol of the rebuild.
But over the past 18 months, something has changed.
Last season, the Norway international managed just three Premier League goals. This campaign has brought more frustration. He has started fewer than half of Arsenal’s league matches, with injuries playing a part — but not telling the full story.
Even when fit, Ødegaard has found himself watching from the bench.
And on derby day? He was reduced to a late cameo while Eze, the £67.5m summer arrival from Crystal Palace, stole the spotlight with two goals — adding to the hat-trick he scored against Spurs earlier in the season.
The message felt unmistakable.
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol didn’t hold back when assessing Ødegaard’s situation on ESPN.
“Odegaard might be leaving Arsenal,” Nicol said bluntly. “If you’re Odegaard, the club captain and 18 months ago you were the guy… now there’s question marks over whether he starts because of Eze.”
That’s a brutal shift in status.
Nicol went further: “If you’re Martin Odegaard, do you stick around? I don’t think you do.”
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf echoed the concern.
“I’ve always liked Martin Odegaard because he’s very elegant,” Leboeuf admitted. “But he’s not influential anymore.”
Not influential.
For a captain chasing a first Premier League title in over two decades for Arsenal, that phrase cuts deep.
Leboeuf contrasted Ødegaard’s style — controlled, horizontal distribution — with Eze’s direct, vertical thrust.
“With Eze right now the moves are not the same. He’s more vertical, more influential and he’s going to help Gyokeres too.”
In modern title races, efficiency often beats elegance.
Arteta’s post-match comments only intensified the debate — though they were aimed at Eze, not Ødegaard.
“He was upset, even with me,” Arteta said of Eze, after previously benching him. “But I start to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now.”
That sounds like a manager building around a new focal point.
Eze’s smile in the dressing room, Arteta said, “expressed everything.” He “came here for a reason.” He delivered when it mattered.
Meanwhile, Ødegaard’s role appears increasingly peripheral.
This is not a small subplot. This is the captain of a title-chasing side potentially slipping from guaranteed starter to rotational option. Arsenal sit five points clear of Manchester City, though Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand. Every decision from here on carries enormous weight.
Does Arteta prioritise form over loyalty? Vertical dynamism over established hierarchy? Evolution over sentiment?
The next few months could define not just Arsenal’s season — but Ødegaard’s future.
Arsenal face Chelsea this weekend in another high-stakes London clash. The pressure intensifies. The margins shrink.
And for Ødegaard, a difficult question looms: fight to reclaim the throne — or consider whether his era at Arsenal has already peaked?
Because in a title race, influence is everything.
And right now, the spotlight has shifted.
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