Arsenal legend names surprise Mikel Arteta favourite who is no longer irreplaceable - "Not even noticed"

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has exclusively told Sports Mole that a big-name Gunners star is no longer indispensable to the Premier League leaders.

Mikel Arteta's men opened up a four-point lead at the top of the rankings on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, who succumbed to a first-half volley from former flame Eberechi Eze.

The Gunners have capitalised on Liverpool and Manchester City's shortcomings despite a handful of serious injuries in the early stages of the campaign, as Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are all out with knee problems, but the club's squad depth has been heralded all season long.

Arteta has particularly benefitted from the presence of Eze, Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino, as Odegaard is already on his third spell on the sidelines this term, having suffered two shoulder injuries in quick succession over the summer before his recent MCL concern.

However, Parlour has claimed that Arsenal have "not even noticed" when asked about Arsenal's title and squad situation, saying: “I've been there and won titles, but we never even think about talking about it this early. It’s about March, April time when you've got to be competitive, when you've got to be there and thereabouts.

Ray Parlour: 'Arsenal have not even noticed Martin Odegaard's absence'

“I remember being 12 points behind in 1998, and we won 10 in a row. Other teams can do that still - Liverpool can do 10 in a row, or Man City. So I'm not going to get carried away at the moment, but they’re in a great position.

“The bookmakers don't get it wrong too often, and they're massive favourites now to win this title, but the league is so competitive, so difficult. The teams down the bottom really give you a game. I know Wolves and West Ham are in a nightmare at the moment, but even on their day, they raise their game.

“If you've got two or three players not at it, then you get beat. So, I'm not going to get carried away, but I'm very happy how the team is. The squad itself in depth is very, very strong. Odegaard’s been out, we've not even noticed.

“Everybody's going the right way, you've always got to have the togetherness to win titles. It's a great blend of youngsters and experience. I'm very excited, but I'm not going to get carried away at the moment.

"They've got a great chance of winning the league, there's no doubt about that. There's 30-odd games left to go, so anything can go wrong really quickly.”

Have Arsenal really not noticed Martin Odegaard's absence?

Ask any Gooner, and they will tell you that Odegaard has not been the same creative and goalscoring force he was in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, thanks to a combination of factors.

The way that teams set up against Arsenal means that Odegaard often has little space to work with, and Norway international was hampered by an ankle injury for a couple of months last season, during which the Gunners' results were mixed.

Arsenal won just three of their seven Premier League games from September 15 to November 2 while Odegaard was missing, but across all competitions this term, they have won five and drawn one of their six matches that the skipper has missed.

Odegaard has also registered just two assists when fully fit this term too, although one of them was a particularly crucial one, as his corner was nodded in by Gabriel Magalhaes for the late winner against Newcastle United.

However, Arsenal still score a plethora of set-piece goals with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka on corner duty, and Odegaard missing a few weeks may be a blessing in disguise for the playmaker, who ought to return fully refreshed and ready to hit the ground running.

Ray Parlour was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting.