Martin Odegaard says Arsenal will come back stronger after missing out on Premier League title

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has said that the club will come back stronger after missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City last season.

The Gunners were top of the standings for 248 days in the previous campaign, but they were overtaken by the Cityzens to the league title in the final weeks.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Odegaard admitted that there are a lot of mixed feelings after the missed opportunity to win the title after 19 seasons.

However, the Norwegian star added that he is proud of how far the team have come, and how much they have improved to go head-to-head with the Cityzens.

He said: “There are a lot of mixed feelings [about last season]. We are proud to see how far we’ve come and how much we have improved in the last few years.”

“To be there and fight for the title against the team who have won everything, it’s a good step for us but at the same time it still hurts to be so close to winning.”

The Gunners skipper highlighted how the club recovered from finishing fifth to qualify for the Champions League last term, and believes they will come back even stronger this season.

He replied: “Our dream was to win and that’s what we want, so it still hurts, but we have to use everything we learned from last year in a good way just like we did the year before.”

“We missed out on Champions League, but we came back even stronger and even more prepared. We have to do the same now to come back and use the disappointment in a good way, and that is what we’ll try to do.”

Arsenal have been the biggest spenders during the current transfer window with more than £200 million spent on the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.

When asked whether this puts more pressure on the Gunners to challenge City, Odegaard said that ‘people can say what they want’ but the club need to stay focused on their job.

He added: “That’s football and that’s how it works.”

“There is always going to be talk and expectation but our job is to stay focused on what we can control, which is performance, and what we can do every day in training to make sure we work hard and improve.

“It’s a great group. There are a lot of hungry players and young players. That’s the key for us, to keep working hard, to keep going and pushing every day to be better.

“People can say what they want and write what they want but our job is to stay focused.”

Arsenal need to win a trophy after spending spree

Arsenal’s main focus was on the Premier League last season, but in the end it was another trophyless campaign after early exits from the other Cup and European competitions.

The club exited the Carabao and FA Cup in the third and fourth rounds respectively while they suffered a shock round of 16 loss to Sporting Lisbon on penalties in the Europa League.

Arsenal now face a stiff challenge with their return to Champions League football after six years, but they must at least reach the last eight of the elite club competition this term.

Meanwhile, the fans will be hoping that the Gunners have a deeper run in both the League and FA Cups. With more spending anticipated, the club should have quality squad depth.

The pressure will be on Arsenal to challenge Pep Guardiola’s side for the league title but as Odegaard said, the players need to stay focused on the job and ignore outside noise.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com