Arsenal monster quickly usurps Eze and Odegaard as Arteta’s top creator

Unlike the last international break, the mood around Arsenal is incredibly positive.

Mikel Arteta’s side are unbeaten in the Champions League and, more importantly than that, sit at the top of the Premier League table, one point ahead of Liverpool.

Plus, it’s not like the Gunners managed to claw their way to the top, as not only did they concede fewer goals, but they also scored one more than the Reds.

Mikel Arteta has his team playing fun and exciting football. Yet while one might expect Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze to be their most creative players, it’s someone else who currently holds that title, someone far more surprising.

Odegaard vs Eze last season

Before we get into the player currently leading the team creatively this season, it’s worth taking a look back at how the club’s chief creatives fared last year.

Eze was still plying his trade with Crystal Palace at the time and ended up having the season of his life, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists in 43 appearances.

In contrast, Odegaard only managed to amass a total of six goals and 12 assists in 45 appearances for the Gunners, during a season in which some fans felt he fell short.

However, looking at their underlying numbers from last season, which midfielder ends up looking like the better creator?

Well, this might come as a surprise to many, given how their respective campaigns were perceived, but when it comes to purely creative measures, it was the Norwegian who came out on top last year.

For example, in all competitions he performed better in various aspects including progressive passes and carries, expected assists, passes into the penalty area, key passes and much more, all per 90.

Now, there are probably several reasons why he did much better than the Englishman, such as the team they both played for and the fact that Oliver Glasner was counting on his former star to be more of a goalscorer. However, these numbers further prove that Odegaard is a creative tour de force.

That said, neither he nor Eze top Arsenal’s list of creative players this season.

Arsenal’s most creative player this season

So, with Eze and Odegaard already out of the running, one might have expected Bukayo Saka to be Arsenal’s most creative player this season, or perhaps even Noni Madueke before he got injured.

However, you would be wrong again. Additionally, although Declan Rice tops the list of chances created in the Premier League, this is mainly down to his set pieces.

That said, who has been Arteta’s creator-in-chief this season?

Surprisingly, it is Jurrien Timber who, according to Squawka, has created the most chances from open play of any team this season, with eight chances at the time of writing.

The Gunners’ “breakthrough signing”, as respected analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him, has been exactly that so far this season, marrying his most monstrous defensive displays with this newfound creativity.

Perhaps the best display of this came in the match against Newcastle United, as not only did he keep the Toon quiet on his side of the pitch, but he also continually came forward to help create chances for his team.

It’s not just the eye test that impresses the Dutchman, as his underlying numbers really help demonstrate just how complete he is as a player.

According to FBref, he is in the top 2% of Premier League full-backs for actual and expected non-penalty goals, shot-creating actions, progressive passes and tackles, top 7% for total shots and successful passes, top 11% for touches in the opponent’s penalty area and more, all by 90.

Ultimately, even though he doesn’t get as much attention as some of the team’s other stars, Timber is undoubtedly one of Arsenal’s most important and now creative players.