When Martin Odegaard stood in the centre of the Emirates Stadium pitch moments after Arsenal’s 2-1 success against Everton on the final day of last season, the pain of narrowly missing out on the Premier League title was etched all over his face.
As he addressed the fans, Odegaard spoke of his pride at what Arsenal had achieved having pushed Manchester City all the way to the final minutes of the campaign, but the crushing disappointment of seeing the club’s first Premier League crown in 20 years slip away was still clear for all to see.
Two months have now passed and that disappointment still remains. But Odegaard doesn’t look at it as a bad thing. In fact, the 25-year-old, who is currently in Marbella with a handful of his team-mates preparing for the new season at a summer training camp, is adamant that it will be the driving force that will lead Arsenal to silverware in the coming campaign.