Forget Nwaneri: Arsenal's insane Hale Ender is coming for Odegaard's place

This season has been littered with issues for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal troops. There has been very little rest for the coaching staff, let’s put it that way.

Ever since Declan Rice’s nonsensical red card against Brighton early in the season, things have gone from bad to worse for the Gunners.

A tale of woe concerning red cards, strange ones at that, have plagued their season, as too have injuries, particularly in 2025.

Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz are all nursing hamstring problems with the German now out for the season.

He joins Gabriel Jesus (ACL) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) as long-term absentees in the Colney treatment room.

It’s unsurprising that with so many forward players missing Arsenal are struggling to score goals. Across their last three matches, they have scored just twice, both coming from the boot of makeshift centre-forward Mikel Merino.

While it’s true that the forward line is a big issue, the Gunners need to see more from some of the senior players who are still fit. Chief among them is captain Martin Odegaard.

Why Martin Odegaard is struggling this season

When in full flow, it’s safe to say that the Arsenal skipper is one of the most aesthetically pleasing footballers around.

He’s not a loudmouth and in-your-face captain like Roy Keane was but he usually lets his football do the talking. Remember that magical assist against Porto in the Champions League last season?

He leads the press, leads their chance creation and sets the pace of a game. Except, he’s not actually doing that too well this term.

The Norwegian is clearly suffering from his early season injury, an ankle problem sustained during the campaign’s maiden international break that subsequently saw him miss 12 matches for the Gunners.

Since then, the 26-year-old has struggled to impress and you could put some of that down to Saka’s absence since the back end of 2024. The pair usually combine to create most of the team’s chances and without the dazzling winger, Odegaard hasn’t found top gear.

Truth be told, the club’s number 11 is a shadow of his former self, having registered fewer key passes and accurate crosses per 90 this season in the Premier League.

To compound Odegaard’s woes, he only has one goal from open play all season, his neat finish against Manchester City in the 5-1 win.

So, what’s next? Well, you’d like to think that form is temporary, class is permanent here. The former Real Madrid wonderkid will no doubt be back but he should now be looking over his shoulder following the emergence of two bright stars in Hale End.

Hale End could threaten Odegaard’s long-term future at Arsenal

While, for the time being, there are no long-term concerns regarding Odegaard’s form in red and white, he should be wary that once this Arsenal team has all of their main players back fit, his place in the team should not be a certainty.

After all, how on earth are you going to leave Ethan Nwaneri out once Saka returns? Answers please, Arteta.

One solution could be to field the talented 17-year-old in a number 10 role, alongside Saka and behind Havertz.

That would leave Odegaard’s role vulnerable but Nwaneri isn’t the only Hale End superstar he may well have to compete with in the forthcoming years.

Step forward, Max Dowman. The teenager is only 15 years of age but has generated remarkable hype. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you will do soon.

He has been hailed as the “most exciting” prospect since Lamine Yamal by talent scout Jacek Kulig and is said to have “one of the greatest footballing brains that’s ever come through Hale End” by Arsenal academy expert Will Balsam.

No pressure, then, but when you watch him play, you’ll realise the hype is real. Dowman has already trained with the first team on multiple occasions and was among the travelling party for the squad’s warm-weather training camp in Dubai. At 15, that’s astonishing.

An attacking midfielder by trade, he’s got the Nwaneri swagger and aura about him, while his ball-carrying and speed already looks like it’s better than Odegaard’s.

He only boasts one appearance for the U21s to date but Dowman has regularly dazzled for the U18s this term, scoring five goals and supplying two assists. Those might not be the most incredible numbers but his performance against Manchester United U18s in the FA Youth Cup on Friday evening showcased just how special he is.

During a 3-2 extra-time defeat in the quarter-finals, he scored the club’s second from the penalty spot after winning the foul himself courtesy of some remarkable play.

Dowman picked up the ball inside his own half and drove towards the box, dancing his way past a United defender before being brought down. As analyst Ben Mattinson said, he has ‘the Thanos “fine, I’ll do it myself” gene’ which is essentially the ability to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and take the team on his shoulders.

It’s not cocky, it’s just a realisation that despite his age, he is that good.

Further described as an “insane left-footed 10-type creator” by Mattinson, the teenager is set to have an incredibly bright future in the game and, while it will take a few years for him to become a regular feature in the senior side, Odegaard should be on the lookout.

Both Dowman and Nwaneri, Arsenal’s academy jewels, could be coming for his throne.