Martin Odegaard: Here's to a better 2025-26 for the Arsenal captain 

A positive end to what has been a difficult campaign for Martin Odegaard

Another season has come and gone in a flash.

It feels like only yesterday we were gearing up for a brand-new campaign full of hope and expectation.

Before we know it, we will be readying ourselves all over again. But before all that we had one last engagement with Southampton.

This game was about as dead rubber as it gets.

Southampton were relegated some weeks ago, while the title was long since gone for Arsenal. But professionalism must be maintained until the very end, and I’d say it was.

We started off on the front foot as you would expect with Gabi Martinelli and Mikel Merino heading at the ‘keeper and over the bar respectively.

I was a little surprised at how much the Saints looked up for it given they had already ensured they could not become the worst Premier League side of all time in terms of points accrued. But they remained compact throughout.

Merino clipped the top of the bar with a header before we opened the scoring just before the break and there couldn’t have been a more popular goalscorer. Ben White made an overlapping run, and his low cross found Kieran Tierney who clipped home on his final Arsenal appearance. He looked delighted and so were the fans. 1-0 Arsenal!

Southampton came out fighting in the second half and got their reward ten minutes in as Ross Stewart headed in from a corner. 1-1. Arsenal pushed and probed as Southampton remained resolute. Alex Zinchenko went close and Saka, who had come on as sub, rightly had a goal ruled out for offside.

Mikel Arteta, who had a touchline ban so was in the stands for this game, chose to put on Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz as we looked to close out the season with three points.

And it was the former who got us over the line. Our captain drove into the Southampton half, gave it to Trossard, got it back, jinked inside a defender and slammed home a brilliant drive past Ramsdale into the bottom corner. 2-1 Arsenal!

A positive end to what has been a difficult campaign for Odegaard.

Arsenal also broke a top-flight record for consecutive final day wins with the win on the South Coast our 14th straight victory on the final day breaking Liverpool’s 101-year-old record.

We won’t get a trophy, but breaking records is nice.

Enjoy your summer Gooners and roll on 2025-26!

Previous articles by exciting new Arsenal writer Nick Manfredi:

All Hail Declan Rice: Arsenal's midfield genius

Arsenal's new red and white home kit: Lighten my wallet now

Feel the positivity under Arteta after Rice's superb stunner steers Arsenal to the Champions League