Arsenal's rise under Mikel Arteta has been a meteoric one, with the Spaniard taking over from his failed compatriot, who had struggled to live up to the weight that succeeding the great Arsene Wenger created.

The Frenchman had spent 22 illustrious years in north London, forging a legacy that few other managers in history will ever live up to. He nearly won it all, and oversaw some incredible players which aided in his pursuit of glory.

Whoever was chosen to follow the 73-year-old was handed an impossible task, made no easier by the questionable transfers and the media mockery that Unai Emery faced. However, some of his acquisitions now mark some of the club's finest talents, with the former Manchester City assistant manager the willing recipient of their talents.

Whilst Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba have grown into integral pillars of his regime, there is one many who ties everything good they do together. After all, without a strong captain to lead such immense quality, consisting of stars like Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, the team would have little on-pitch direction.

Fortunately, Martin Odegaard not only helps boost their mentality with his strong words, but also leads by example with his consistently stunning performances.

How good is Martin Odegaard?

Although it took some time for the Norway international to acclimatise to north London, since signing permanently he has been a mainstay for Arteta, brushing aside his loan struggles and easily justifying his £30m price tag.

After all, it did seem a huge figure to unload after the 24-year-old had scored just a single Premier League goal across six months in England, even if it was only bound to be a temporary spell.

Despite that, Edu and his team still had a vision, and the midfield maestro was clearly set to be a key part of it. The rest, as they say, is history.

His seven goals and four assists the following campaign marked a steady increase, and acted as the foundation with which both he and his team would explode, mounting their title charge last term that fell so painstakingly short.

Throughout that year, the former Real Madrid magician scored an impressive 15 times and assisted a further eight, and now when compared to other attacking midfielders across Europe, there are few who even come close to his attacking figures. He sits in the top 1% for non-penalty goals, total shots and shot-creating actions per 90, and the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, via FBref.

Bernd Leno

Cedric

Rob Holding

David Luiz

Hector Bellerin

Thomas Partey

Granit Xhaka

Emile Smith Rowe

Gabriel Martinelli

Alexandre Lacazette

Nicolas Pepe

The £240k-per-week superstar has become one of the division's finest talents, with former Gunners ace Bacary Sagna seeking to laud his ever-growing influence: "Martin Odegaard reminds me of Cesc Fabregas, he has the same quality, but Odegaard also has the technique of Robin van Persie. The team is very good. The coach, the fans and the commitment of the players have been the reason for Arsenal's improvement from last season."

However, around the time of his emergence at the Emirates, his entrance actually marked the exit of another creative star.

Whilst few likely cared as Henrikh Mkhitaryan departed for AS Roma, having failed to succeed under Wenger or Emery, it would be a decision the club would swiftly come to regret.

Why did Arsenal sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan?

As the direct replacement for Alexis Sanchez, who had forced through his move to Manchester United, it was always going to be impossible for the Armenian to live up to those expectations, just as Emery would fail to do after Wenger's exit.

However, a hat trick of assists on his debut had fans thinking otherwise, as they crushed Everton 5-1 and threatened to enjoy even more success than the Chilean superstar had brought.

That would not be the case, and just one year later he would depart, with Arsenal fan site PainInTheArsenal suggesting: "It quickly became clear that he lacked the quality, speed and commitment to succeed at the sharp end of the Premier League."

Later opening up about his reasons behind departing, having made just 59 appearances and recorded a disappointing 22 goal contributions, the 34-year-old would admit: "I have to enjoy playing football, no matter the place. In England, I no longer felt happy.

"I got a call from my agent and I wanted to come, because it was a great opportunity for me. I didn't even have a discussion with my agent about money. Maybe I was not fitting so well in English football, so I think a change was good. The last month at Arsenal I was not happy, so that's why I said it was better to come to Roma and to get happy and to get the pleasure from playing football again."

How has Henrikh Mkhitaryan been performing since leaving?

However, since departing England in 2020, it seems that he has recaptured that fun he was missing, arguably outperforming Odegaard in the process.

After all, during the 2020/21 campaign, his first since joining AS Roma permanently, Mkhitaryan scored 13 and assisted 11 in Serie A alone, whilst his replacement could only muster four goal contributions in the Premier League.

Then, the following year saw Odegaard instead matched, as the power dynamic began to shift. His 11 goal contributions were mirrored by the former Borussia Dortmund maestro, before the 55-cap Norway international then took control.

Such a switch was only natural as Mkhitaryan surpassed his twilight and Odegaard reached his prime years, and yet from that 2020 sale, the former's 27 goals and 25 across all competitions actually marks a significant overperformance on the 28 goals and 16 assists managed by the latter.

Not only that, but the Inter Milan ace also played a key part in his side's unlikely run to the Champions League final, as if to emphasise the talent Arteta willingly allowed to leave.

Although the pendulum has now swung rather aggressively, with the younger of the two now sure to enjoy a period of consistent success, it cannot be overestimated just how impressive the performances of the ageing creator have been since his Emirates departure, thus suggesting the speed of his exit was perhaps a tad too rushed.