Arsenal news: Odegaard’s troubling injury update as deal done behind Gyokeres’ back

Arsenal have been keeping a close eye on their international stars with the Premier League on a two-week break

Arsenal will return to domestic action this week as they hope to retain their position at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners replaced Liverpool as league leaders last week after their 2-0 victory over West Ham United.

While Arne Slot’s side had the opportunity to return to the pinnacle, his side lost their third straight game across all competitions away to Chelsea. The result ensured Mikel Arteta’s men enter the second international break of the season as the team to beat in the top-flight.

With most of the Gunners’ first-team players representing their nations, fans may be worried about Martin Odegaard, who withdrew from the Norway squad after suffering a knee injury against the Hammers.

Viktor Gyokeres has been underwhelming for Sweden as questions linger over whether he can cut it in the Premier League. Mirror Football taking a deep dive into all the stories coming out of the Emirates Stadium.

Odegaard’s injury hint update

Odegaard has been hampered with injury since the start of the season. Managing just 294 minutes of action so far, the Arsenal captain became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half-time in three consecutive league starts.

READ MORE: Arsenal dressing room’s feelings on ‘problem’ behind Premier League title missesREAD MORE: Jack Wilshere set to land EFL manager job after snubbing shock Arsenal approach

The 26-year-old set the unwanted record after coming off in the first-half of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham. After suffering with two shoulder injuries earlier in the campaign, it was a knee issue that ended Odegaard’s day against the Hammers.

The injury, an issue with his medial collateral ligament (MCL), saw him withdraw from the Norway squad, but he still travelled with the team during the international break. He was present in the stands to watch his side thrash Israel 5-0, continuing their perfect record in World Cup qualifying with six wins out of six.

Two own goals and an Erling Haaland hat-trick saw Norway run riot in the home clash which led to jubilant celebrations in the dressing room. While a timeline hasn’t yet been set for Odegaard’s return to action, his antics during the celebrations wasn’t great news for fans.

With the squad and coaches in a joyful melee, the Norway captain was not involved, instead he sat on the side. Despite his consistent absences this season, the Gunners’ increased depth in midfield has meant they’ve continued picking up positive results without the influence of their captain for much of the season.

Secret Gyokeres deal

Arsenal’s chase of Viktor Gyokeres was one of the most drawn-out transfers sagas of the season but eventually came to a close after they officially signed him in late July. The Swede arrived at the Emirates Stadium with a supreme record of 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP.

His goalscoring exploits saw him attract the interest of Manchester United, where he would have been reunited with his former boss, Ruben Amorim. Despite reported overtures made by the Red Devils upon acquiring Gyokeres, it was made clear his only desire was to join the north London club.

However, it was claimed by the Swede’s camp that a deal to bring him to Old Trafford was agreed with Sporting – but without the knowledge of the striker himself.

United were said to offer a transfer fee exceeding the £64million Arsenal paid for his services. It’s reported that Sporting were pushing Gyokeres to accept the move to Old Trafford but remained firm in his insistence to sign for Arsenal.

Jonathan Chalkias, an assistant to Gyokeres’ agent Hasan Cetinkaya, spoke to Studio Allsvenskan podcast and said: “There were crazy amounts offered from Saudi Arabia. We’re supposed to act in our best interest.

“Do we have also have a percentage (of any fee)? Of course. It’s a lot of money. Maybe Viktor should respond to that some day. I don’t think we pressured him once to accept the offer. At the end of the day, money comes and goes and this move to Arsenal brings us a lot of marketing.

“They (Sporting) had concluded a deal with Manchester United behind our backs, that was a problem. United offered a higher transfer fee.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.