So much so that the current Norwegian national team captain was hawked around European football's biggest clubs, spending time at a number of them before a decision was made.
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Arsenal move was perfect
Ultimately, he would land at the biggest of them all, Real Madrid, though it was soon clear that such a move had come far, far too quickly for a player that appeared destined for great things.
Via a career path that sent him on loan to Heerenveen and Vitesse in the Dutch top-flight, as well as Real Sociedad in La Liga, his final (and current) destination at Arsenal came by way of a loan, firstly, before the move was made permanent.
A move that had, until recently, proven to be absolutely perfect for his development.
His mix of quality passing, attacking thrust and ability to create chances for teammates with consummate ease, has been one of the major reasons why the Gunners have been improving season on season over the past few campaigns.
In 2025/26, however, Odegaard's influence has significantly waned.
Just one goal and three assists in 2025/26
Purely from a perspective of goal contributions in the first instance, the 27-year-old has provided only one goal and three assists in the Premier League, and one more assist in the Champions League.
That's only one more contribution in the English top-flight than in his debut season with the North Londoners back in 2020/21.
Since then, he's managed seven goals and four assists in all competitions (2021/22), 15 goals and seven assists (2022/23), 11 goals and 11 assists (2023/24), and six goals and 11 assists in 2024/25.
At the end of the 23/24 season, Odegaard was picking up a second Player of the Season award in succession, cementing his position as the Gunners' main man.
It's somewhat noticeable, then, that the Norwegian hasn't been as dynamic during games as he once was, leading to question marks as to whether Mikel Arteta's side is actually better off without him at the moment.
Odegaard has had his fair share of injuries of late, of course, with two separate shoulder injuries and a knee injury keeping him out at various points this season.
Lack of rhythm to blame?
Whilst he's never been one to shirk his responsibilities in a physical sense, it's worth pondering on just how much those injuries will have affected the player's mindset, whether consciously or otherwise, as well as the associated playing load when leading his national team, taking its toll.
Furthermore, the 1,215 minutes he's played in total in 25/26 across all competitions for his club is significantly less than some of his contemporaries.
No matter how good you are, football players need time and a run of games to find their rhythm, and that's another reason that can potentially be offered up as a mediating factor.
By contrast, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have played 2,306 and 2,028 minutes respectively, at least nine full games more than Odegaard across the current campaign.
What's interesting is that only Rice and Saka have created more chances this season (56 and 58) than the Norwegian's 35, and his 442 successful passes into the opposition half (Saka has 441) also deserve acclaim.
However, he's only made 14 crosses this season, which is significantly worse than a number of his teammates, and only five of those have been successful.
Even his 776 possession passes in 25/26 are around 1000 less than the likes of Martin Zubimendi.
Fewer one-on-one battles than Gyokeres
Perhaps one of the most glaring statistics, and one which evidences his current lack of influence, is that Odegaard has only attempted 88 one-on-ones with a direct opponent.
Whilst that sounds a lot, it pales into insignificance when set alongside Mikel Merino's 306 or Saka's 261.
Even the much-maligned Viktor Gyokeres, who hasn't really hit the ground running at the Emirates Stadium, has often worked his socks off, off the ball, and has involved himself in 168 duels.
Never was Odegaard's nosedive in form perhaps more evident than in the recent Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.
During the 56 minutes that he was on the pitch, he didn't take a single shot, only managed to complete 18 passes, of which just one was a key pass, and he also failed to complete a single dribble.
What does Arteta do now?
The conundrum that now faces Arteta is whether to continue rationing Odegaard's minutes in the hope that he recaptures the form of a couple of seasons ago, or choose to leave him in his starting XIs with a view to the same outcome.
An issue that's likely to be troubling the Spaniard, however, is that he can't afford to have any passengers as Arsenal approach arguably the busiest and most important period of the season.
There's a chance that they can cement their position at the top of the Premier League and give themselves the best shot of a maiden Champions League victory too, so does the manager really want to risk either on the basis that one player - albeit the club captain - might come good?
