Arsenal look to have recovered somewhat from their festive period stumble following their comprehensive 5-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier in the month. However, with many challenges still to come in the Premier League and Champions League, they cannot afford another setback.
While the scoreline against the Eagles would have no doubt pleased Mikel Arteta and Co, there is still a chance that his side could once again find themselves struggling to create and finish chances.
With this in mind, it's unsurprising that the latest name touted for a move to the Emirates could rival Martin Odegaard for his spot in the team as the midfield's chief creator and potentially even form an effective partnership with Declan Rice in the process.
Arsenal set to battle Spurs for midfield maestro
According to reports from Turkey earlier this week (via Football Transfers Netherlands), Arsenal are one of several clubs interested in signing Fenerbahçe's incredibly exciting Polish midfielder, Sebastian Szymański.
The report revealed that the Gunners have now thrown their hat into the ring for the 24-year-old's signature and will have to compete with Manchester United, Napoli, Real Sociedad and bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
A report from the Turkish publication Aksam Spor earlier this month revealed that Ange Postecoglu is personally 'very keen' to land the Polish international this year. However, the Turkish giants are holding out for a fee in the region of €35m – about £30m.
If Edu and Co can get in their first, they'll kill two birds with one stone, improving their midfield and depriving the Lilywhites of one of their top targets.
Szymański could be the ideal competition for Odegaard
Now, Odegaard is an incredibly talented footballer and arguably one of the best midfielders in the entire Premier League. After all, you don't score 15 league goals and provide seven assists in a single season if you aren't at least in the conversation.
However, for as fantastic as he was last season, the Norwegian hasn't reached those levels this campaign, and while his underwhelming tally of just three assists can be partly blamed on the poor finishing of his teammates, his four goals in 18 starts is a serious drop from his outstanding total last year.
In comparison, the "exceptional" Szymański, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has been on fire in the Turkish Süper Lig this season, finding the back of the net nine times and producing eight assists to boot in just 22 starts.
Moreover, he was just as effective in the Netherlands last season, racking up nine goals and four assists in just 24 starts for Feyenoord as they romped to the Eredivisie title ahead of Ajax.
When comparing the pair's underlying numbers this season, it becomes clear just how much of an attacking threat the 24-year-old is. The "little gem", as dubbed by Mango, takes considerably more shots and shots on target than the Arsenal captain, and his lethality in front of goal is apparent to see as well, with an average of 0.38 on target strikes resulting in a goal compared to just 0.15 for the former Real Madrid man.
Szymański
Ødegaard
0.44
0.23
0.39
0.17
0.83
0.40
2.67
2.15
1.17
0.73
0.38
0.15
2.14
0.51
Interestingly, the former Legia Warszawa star also wins far more tackles than his potential competition, and with some experience playing in a central midfield role at times this season, he could also be the perfect midfield partner for Rice, helping the Englishman clean up counterattacks before springing into action himself and having a shot or setting up a teammate.
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Ultimately, while Odegaard still has a lot of credit in the bank for his outrageous output last season, he needs to improve his performances this year and signing Szymański could help get the best out of him, or the Polish star could just be the man to replace him.