Arsenal monster rapidly dethroning Eze and Odegaard as Arteta’s best creator

In contrast to the last international break, the atmosphere around Arsenal is incredibly positive.

Mikel Arteta’s side are unbeaten in the Champions League and, more importantly, are at the top of the Premier League, just one point behind Liverpool.

What’s more, the Gunners have not only conceded fewer goals than the Reds, but also scored one more, meaning they haven’t risen to the top of the table.

Mikel Arteta is playing fun and exciting football. But while you might expect Martin Odegaard or Ebelesi Eze to be their most creative player, it’s someone else, and a far more surprising one, who currently holds that title.

Odegaard vs Eze last season

Before we get into the players who are currently leading the team in a creative sense this season, it’s worth taking a look back at how the club’s chief creators fared last year.

Eze was still plying his trade with Crystal Palace at the time and ended up having the best season of his life, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists in 43 appearances.

In contrast, Odegaard only managed six goals and 12 assists in 45 appearances for the Gunners, and there were seasons in which some in the fanbase felt he was underperforming.

But looking at the basic numbers from last season, which midfielder looks like the better creator?

Well, it may come as a surprise to many given how their respective campaigns are viewed, but when it comes to purely creative metrics, it’s the Norwegians who came out on top last year.

For example, across all competitions, various aspects including progressive passes and carries, expected assists, passes into the penalty area, key passes, etc. all improved their performance per 90 points.

Now, there are probably a number of reasons why he performed so much better than the English player. For example, the teams they both played on and the fact that Oliver Glasner relied on his former star to fill the role of goal scorer. However, these numbers still prove that Odegaard has creative talent.

That said, neither he nor Eze will top Arsenal’s list of creative players this season.

Arsenal’s most creative player this season

So with Eze and Odegaard already sidelined, you might have expected Bukayo Saka to be Arsenal’s most creative player, or maybe even Noni Madueke, before he went down with injury.

But you would be wrong again. Furthermore, Declan Rice tops the list of chances created in the Premier League, but that is mainly due to his set pieces.

That being said, who has been Arteta’s chief creator this season?

Surprisingly, according to Squawka, Julian Timber has created the most chances from open play across the team this season, with eight chances at the time of writing.

Dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson as a “game-changing signing” for the Gunners, he has been exactly that so far this season, blending this newfound creativity with his most monstrous defensive displays.

Perhaps this was best demonstrated against Newcastle United, where he not only kept Toon quiet on that side of the pitch, but also continually came forward and helped create chances for his team.

But it’s not just eye tests that the Dutchman excels at. His fundamental numbers go a long way in showing how complete he is as a player.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 2% of Premier League full-backs for actual and expected non-penalty goals, shot-producing actions, progressive passes and tackles, top 7% for total shots and completed passes, and top 11% for touches inside the opposition penalty area, all in the 90s.

After all, Timber is arguably one of Arsenal’s most important and currently creative players, even if he doesn’t get as much attention as other stars in the team.