The debate over who will become the recipient of the Premier League 2023/24 Player of the Year award, voted on by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), is heating up.

Earlier this month, Manchester City forward Phil Foden was voted by the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) as the Player of the Season, but the story for the PFA will be quite different as the English star will have to contend with 7 other heavyweight contenders: Erling Haaland, Rodri, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard.

For Odegaard, the Norwegian star continues to prove himself worthy of the captain’s armband at Arsenal. Not only a conductor, the 25-year-old midfielder is also the backbone of the Gunners’ play even when in possession or defending off the ball.

Below are 3 reasons why the PFA should honor Odegaard in this category.

Every Arsenal attacking situation goes through Odegaard

Manager Mikel Arteta always wants his players to control the ball more than their opponents.

On average in the Premier League this season, the Emirates Stadium side has had 58.1% possession per game, with the Spanish coach urging midfielders to drop deeper into their own half to participate in ball circulation, and Odegaard is the key in Arteta’s calculations.

Odegaard is the most important factor at Arsenal.

Although theoretically, players born in 1998 are playmakers, but whenever the Gunners organize ball circulation from the defense, Odegaard even stands shoulder to shoulder with the number 6 midfielder, receiving passes from the center-backs to link up with the attack.

According to statistics, the former Real Madrid star has received passes from teammates 1791 times, ranking 3rd in the Arsenal lineup, only behind William Saliba and Rice.

Endless inspiration in attack

No matter where he is on the pitch, Odegaard always leaves fans in awe with passes only he can make and creates opportunities that opposing defenders cannot anticipate.

“Arsenal fans are always ready to celebrate a goal whenever Odegaard has the ball in the final third of the opponent’s half,” said Lucy Ward, TNT Sport commentator. “He has the ability to connect with every teammate on the field, especially down the right flank.”

With his magical left foot, Odegaard consistently troubles opposing defenses with highly threatening passes. In the Premier League 2023/24 season, the Norwegian midfielder is the player with the most passes directed towards the opponent’s penalty area (152 times) and also the player with the most passes leading to shots (207 times), surpassing Bruno Fernandes in second place by 7 passes.

Odegaard always knows how to connect teammates.

Odegaard has scored 8 goals this season, a number only half of his campaign before. However, that doesn’t mean the 25-year-old conductor is out of form; simply put, Arsenal needs Odegaard to be more of a playmaker than just a goal-scoring machine.

A true leader

Despite shouldering a large workload on the field, Odegaard rarely suffers from injuries. This season, the 1998-born player has participated in 95% of the total possible playing time.

Odegaard has played the full 90 minutes in 28 out of 34 matches in the Premier League 2023/24 season, and in the remaining 6 matches, the former Real Madrid player also appeared for 89 minutes. Endurance is one of the main reasons why Arteta trusts the Norwegian star with the captain’s armband.

Moreover, in every match, Odegaard is the one who calls on Arsenal fans to cheer more passionately, both in terms of professionalism and spirit. The 25-year-old midfielder is undoubtedly the most important factor for the Gunners, something that players like Foden, Palmer, or Watkins, despite having outstanding goal and assist stats, cannot match the Norwegian conductor.