Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal can benefit significantly from improved consistency from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka this season.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City, the Arsenal manager said both players were affected by issues last season that prevented them from maintaining the levels they are capable of producing.
“I think those two cases, him and Bukayo as well, I see something else,” Arteta said.
“Obviously they had some issues last year and they couldn’t have the consistency levels that they know they can bring to the team.”
Arteta expects more from Odegaard and Saka
Arteta believes there is considerable room for improvement from the pair and says their desire to perform at their best has been evident during pre-season.
“So there is a big margin and a big gap there that I think the team is going to benefit from because I can see the desire in them,” he added.
Odegaard remains Arsenal captain and an important part of Arteta’s midfield, while Saka continues to be one of the club’s principal attacking threats.
With Arsenal looking to challenge on multiple fronts this season, Arteta will hope both can maintain their fitness and produce more consistently throughout the campaign.