Follow usMikel Arteta has explained why Martin Odegaard was not on the pitch today in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph against Wigan. The North London team didn’t have any problems eliminating their opponent and advancing to the next phase of the competition, but Martin missed the match.
The Norwegian was also on the bench in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brentford a few days ago, but replaced Eberechi Eze in the 2nd half. During the match vs. the Bees, Odegaard sustained a knock.
And now the Gunners manager has shared that the Norwegian didn’t play today because of the knock he suffered during the Bees’ goal.
“We don’t know yet how long Odegaard will be out. Martin sustained a knock when the Bees scored against us, and he wasn’t ready to play today,” explained Arteta.
However, two more Arsenal players are not fit, as Mikel shared that Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White are the other two players in doubt at the moment.
Kai Havertz is out with a muscle problem, while Mikel Merino will miss significant time after a foot procedure and is yet to see if he will play again in the current campaign.
🗞 Squad cohesion
🗞 Eze's performance
🗞 Adapting to late changesRead every word from Mikel's post-Wigan presser 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 15, 2026
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