Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard have been two of Arsenal’s most scrutinised players but when you dig into the details it does not make sense.
When you spend as much time as I do talking, writing and podcasting about Arsenal, you get a pretty good idea about the narratives and trends within the fan base. For some reason, some players just seem to get a tougher ride than others.
Self-confessed best mates Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard appear to have become two such players. Nearly every day, I see comments or receive messages about one or both Arsenal players, with the sentiment that they should be replaced.
It’s worth noting that when these messages appear in a more public forum, they get plenty of pushback from supporters of the pair. So I thought it best to delve into both players, their situations, and why each player perhaps faces such scrutiny and criticism, what of it is fair and importantly, what is not.
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The two Premier League champions have no doubt been pivotal cogs in the machine that is Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal as they journeyed their way to the title. However, both share the fact that during the now historic 2025/26 season, their availability was severely restricted by injury.
There is no doubt that, when fit, both can contribute a great deal of quality to the team. Havertz scored the winning goal against Burnley that clinched the title after Man City dropped points against Bournemouth, and then scored in the UEFA Champions League final against PSG despite plenty of condemnation toward Mikel Arteta for starting him.
Martin Odegaard, meanwhile, came off the bench against West Ham United to provide an excellent assist to Leandro Trossard to score the goal, which many believe was the most important of the entire league campaign.
These moments for both players are small in the context of the 60-plus-game season, but they signify their importance. But going beyond that, with Havertz, time and time again, the German contributes in the biggest games.
Since returning from injury, Havertz’s aforementioned goals added to a goal away from home against Manchester City, a League Cup semi-final goal against Chelsea and a UEFA Champions League quarter-final winning goal against Sporting CP.
Odegaard came off the bench at Newcastle, was involved in the build-up for Mikel Merino’s equaliser and assisted Gabriel’s winner. Scored and was man of the match in the 2-1 win over Brighton, assisted in the 3-2 away win over Bournemouth, and produced a great display in the 1-0 win over Newcastle United in the run-in.
A season affected by injury for both players, they pulled their weight, and in their absence, they were missed. Neither injury is the result of persistent muscular issues, but instead has come from unfortunate contact issues.
Two awkward landings and two knee collisions have sidelined Odegaard, while a tackle from Manuel Ugarte on the opening day of the season caused significant damage to Havertz’s knee, requiring a procedure. Both are starting for their respective nations at this summer’s World Cup and will hope to come back for the new season improved.
Potential summer transfers such as Morgan Rogers are also not believed to be influenced by the presence of either Havertz or Odegaard. Beyond the injuries, which on paper appear unfortunate rather than persistent, making sense of not only why many want one or both players to leave, to me, is simply baffling.
