Fulham and Crystal Palace sent warning over Arsenal boost with 'phenomenal' player set to replace Odegaard

Arsenal return to Premier League action following the international break with a trip to Fulham on Saturday evening before hosting Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium the following weekend.

There’s also the small matter of a Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid to contend with between those London derbies. The matches come thick and fast for Mikel Arteta’s side and they will have to manage without captain Martin Odegaard.

The 26-year-old picked up a knee injury in the 2-0 win over West Ham before the break and tests showed medial collateral ligament damage. The midfielder subsequently withdrew from the Norwegian national squad.

Martin Odegaard injury update

Odegaard is not thought to require surgery but The Guardian reports that he will be out of action until after the next international break in November. As well as matches against the Cottagers, Atletico and the Eagles, Odegaard is not expected to feature against Burnley, Sunderland, Slavia Prague and Brighton in the cup.

The playmaker is of a huge importance to the Arsenal side with his energy and vision, which may have had upcoming opponents counting his absence as a boost. However, former Premier League striker Charlie Austin has warned the likes of Fulham and Crystal Palace that more danger lurks around the corner.

When talking about Viktor Gyokeres’ struggles on Tuesday, he told Sky Sports: “Listen, he [Gyokeres] has got an abundance of quality and he’s shown that in the performances he’s put in for Arsenal when he’s been fit and knocking on the door. I just feel like there are other players that you could have a good argument about.

“In the bigger picture, they have Eberechi Eze in the team. He’s someone who can now go stamp authority in the middle, in that no. 10 position and unlock the door similar to what Martin Odegaard does.

Eberechi Eze tipped to excel in Odegaard absence for Arsenal

“Now there’s an ideal replacement. Eze is going to go into the middle and doesn’t want to drift out to the left. It can be all about him and him making sliding door moments, putting the balls through to Viktor Gyokres, out wide to Saka. This is what’s going to happen and it’s what Arsenal have brought him in for - not a replacement for Odegaard, the ideal situation they are playing together - but if one isn’t fit they have a perfect replacement.

“For me, I see it that he [Eze] is going to be the one that can take them to the next level. I think the signing that they made for him coming in is a phenomenal bit of business and now he can go and play in the middle, it’s going to be a perfect signing for them.”

The Gunners paid £67.5 million to sign Eze from Crystal Palace this summer, beating Tottenham Hotspur to the transfer. The England international has already made eight appearances for Arsenal, with his first goal coming against Port Vale in the Carabao Cup, but has so far competed for minutes with the likes of Odegaard.

In other news, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta must seize opportunity to prove they have fixed key issue amid fresh injury blow.