Martin Odegaard was seen as the next big thing in world football when European giants Real Madrid signed the then-16-year-old for £2m in 2015.
However, after a number of years that saw very few starts and several loan moves, there was a general belief that the youngster was perhaps just another in a long line of failed wonderkids. That was until Arsenal took him on loan in 2021.
Following a successful stint in north London, the Gunners made the move permanent that summer for just £35m, and Odegaard has been slowly fulfilling the potential so many thought he once had ever since.
That said, he has had contrasting experiences when coming up against Everton in the Premier League.
And with Arsenal once again about to make the trip up north, Football FanCast has taken a look at the Norwegian's record against the Toffees, as well as his general record since first donning the famous red and white of Arsenal.
What is Martin Odegaard's record against Everton?
Odegaard has only been an Arsenal player since January 2021, and has therefore only played against the Toffees on a grand total of five occasions so far, having never faced them outside the Premier League.
In those five games, he has appeared on the scoresheet three times.
In his first game against the Merseysiders in April 2021, he lasted just 74 minutes, coming off the pitch with no goal or assist to his name – something he would remedy the next time out.
The Norway captain played the full 90 in the game at Goodison Park in December of the same year and scored from a driven left-footed shot in the 45th minute.
He would score another goal in the reverse fixture, again with his left foot, only this time, he would be captain of the club.
Odegaard blanked once again in the first game against Everton last season, before redeeming himself and his team somewhat with another goal in March of this year, this time from a right-footed strike.
In all, three goals in five games for a midfielder is certainly good going from the young leader. However, the team's performances have not quite matched up to his when it comes to playing Everton.
What is Martin Odegaard's head-to-head record against Everton?
Despite his impressive individual performances against the Toffees since he arrived in England, Odegaard has found himself on the losing side in games against the Merseysiders more often than not.
In the five games since his introduction as an Arsenal player, he has won just twice against them, losing on the other three occasions. Considering the levels Everton have found themselves at in recent years, that is rather poor from the Gunners.
Possibly the worst performance of the lot came in February of this year when the newly appointed Sean Dyche appeared to completely school the north Londoners, with Amadou Onana, in particular, dominating the centre of the park.
Whilst the loss didn't remove Mikel Arteta's men from top spot at the time, it certainly damaged their title credentials.
While Odegaard has found himself on the losing side of things more than he'd like against Everton, when Arsenal have won, they've done so in style.
In May 2022, the Gunners played Frank Lampard's side on the final day of the season and smashed them 5-1 – although with safety already secured, it's hard to draw any real conclusions from Everton's performance that day.
It was a similar scoreline in March of this year, with the Gunners running out 4-0 victors at home, seemingly exercising the demons from their 1-0 loss just a few weeks before.
What is Martin Odegaard's Premier League record?
At the time of writing, Odegaard has already played 91 games in the Premier League for the Gunners and has become one of the first names on the teamsheet for Arteta – especially since becoming club captain.
In those 91 appearances, the midfield dynamo has managed to rack up a seriously impressive 39 goal involvements.
Interestingly, the 24-year-old has actually scored more goals than he has provided assists so far in his Arsenal career, finding the back of the net 25 times while providing for his teammates 14 times.
That said, he has just come off of a fantastic scoring season, in which he got himself on the scoresheet 15 times across his 37 appearances – more than double the seven goals he scored in the 2021/22 campaign.
With his output improving year after year and the players around him getting better amid the Gunners' runners-up finish last term, don't bet against him scoring even more this season.
What is Martin Odegaard's overall Arsenal record?
Whilst the bulk of his output has come in the Premier League, Odegaard has also been an effective tool for Arteta in other competitions. Since making the switch to north London, he has played in 13 Europa League games for the club and scored one goal in the process.
In fact, it was against Greek outfit Olympiacos in March 2021 that the then-22-year-old opened his Arsenal account with an outrageous thunderbolt that clattered off the underside of the crossbar.
The Norwegian wizard has also added one more assist to his tally in the EFL Cup, but is yet to produce a goal involvement in the FA Cup.
Who has Martin Odegaard scored against the most?
The team that the Norwegian gem has scored the most against is, in fact, Everton – with those three goals the most he has scored against a single opponent in all competitions.
After the Toffees, the English sides that Odegaard has scored most often against are bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton, Wolves, Fulham and Bournemouth.
The two goals against Spurs and the Blues demonstrate that he can and often does shine in the biggest games for the club and are perhaps part of the reason he was chosen to be the captain of the side.
Who has Martin Odegaard got the most assists against?
While we're sure that Arteta and the Arsenal faithful love Odegaard for his goalscoring ability and contributions, it's easy to forget that his primary job as the side's chief creator is to create as many opportunities as he can for his side and to rack up as many assists as possible.
However, despite creating 76 chances in the league last year – the fifth-highest tally – he ended the season with just seven assists, the same number as Granit Xhaka.
That said, Leeds United are the side that have suffered from the brunt of his creativity in league play, with the Norwegian providing three assists when playing against the West Yorkshire side.
Following the Peacocks, West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion have been on the receiving end of his assists most often, with Odegaard providing two against both sides.
What is Arsenal's record against Everton?
Neither Arsenal nor Everton have ever been relegated from the Premier League, and so it's not all the surprising to see that in the years since their first meeting back in April 1905, the two sides have played each other a whopping 221 times across all competitions.
Whilst there have been periods of dominance for both sides and periods in which there was little to separate them, the Gunners have had the overall edge over their Merseyside opponents, winning 110 matches between the sides – almost double Everton's 65.
Arsenal wins
110
Draws
46
Everton wins
65
What are Arsenal's recent results against Everton?
For all their dominance over the years, recent results against Everton have been a real mixed bag for the Gunners, to say the least, with some seriously impressive wins and some calamitous losses as well.
In the last ten meetings between the sides, the Gunners have come out victorious on five occasions, which would probably be deemed a reasonably successful outcome if it weren't for the fact that the Toffees have been something of a circus in recent seasons.
Even with the threat of relegation looming large, the Merseyside outfit have been able to come away with four wins out of the last ten games, even beating the Gunners at home in April 2021.
And while Arteta's men have recently beaten Dyche's side 4-0, their struggles at Goodison should give the players and fans some confidence that they can once again defy the odds and upset the Gunners.
When is Arsenal vs Everton?
The Gunners will travel north to play Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday 16th September. The match will kick off at 5.30pm (UK time), with Arsenal hoping to improve upon their last couple of visits to their historic ground.
There's a lot on the line for both sides as Arteta's men will look to maintain their pace in the title race, whereas Dyche and co will be looking to earn as many points as they can early this year to avoid another relegation battle come May.