Paul Merson says Arsenal still do not have the x factor he wants to see in the Champions League. That view sits against an Arsenal side that beat Napoli 1-0 on Wednesday night, with the score still goalless 15 minutes from time and Martin Ødegaard scoring his fourth goal in five games.

Merson's warning on Arsenal's ceiling

Merson's point was straightforward enough. Speaking about Arsenal's European hopes, he said: "They’re going to be there or thereabouts, I just don’t think they bought that X factor to take them to that level."

He has also said: "I don't see that for Arsenal. Maybe Bukayo Saka for the left-back, but they haven't got that X factor." The wider complaint is about whether Arsenal have enough to go beyond strong domestic form and turn it into a serious European push.

That argument is hard to dismiss entirely. Arsenal won all five of their last five matches, scored seven goals and conceded one, and they reached last season's Champions League final before losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time in Budapest. They have already shown they can live at that level.

But the attack is the part Merson keeps circling, with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka both part of the debate over where the decisive edge comes from.

Odegaard and Merino after the Napoli win

Martin Keown took a different angle after the Napoli match. "I thought Mikel Merino coming back into midfield missed an opportunity tonight," he said. "We missed him last season but I thought he was a little rusty on his first start for a while."

Merino was substituted in the 65th minute, and Arsenal still found the winner through Ødegaard after the match had stayed level for much of the night. Keown still finished on a positive note, saying: "But overall it’s looking good for Arsenal. The drive and determination and hunger is there."

The most persuasive rebuttal to Merson is probably Ødegaard himself. Joe Cole said the captain "was brilliant all night" and "is back to his very, very best", while Mikel Arteta added that "Martin is contributing with goals that are impacting results which is what we want from our attacking players" and that they want players to be decisive.

Arsenal do not need every answer right now, but they do need enough attacking presence to turn tight nights like this into wins. On Wednesday they got it, and Ødegaard's four goals in five games is the clearest reason the x-factor argument is not settled yet.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →