Christian Norgaard, Arsenal's selfless 'spare man' and his important role in Arteta's squad

London – When Arsenal’s team bus rolled out toward Elland Road on 31 January, Christian Norgaard’s name did not appear on the official teamsheet. The 31-year-old Denmark international instead travelled as the club’s designated “spare man”, a role usually reserved for academy prospects or third-choice goalkeepers. That a former Brentford captain and Premier League ever-present would accept such an assignment underlines both Norgaard’s humility and Mikel Arteta’s trust in him.

Within minutes of arrival, the plan changed. Bukayo Saka pulled up in the warm-up, and Norgaard was promoted to the substitutes’ bench. No fuss, no frantic re-wiring of tactics: the midfielder had prepared all week as if he would start, a discipline he repeats daily despite starting only four league fixtures and totalling 22 Premier League minutes this season.

Fifteen times this campaign Norgaard has watched the final whistle from the dug-out without leaving it. Twice in January he was omitted entirely, again listed as the emergency spare. Yet those absences have never translated into apathy. “I knew it would be a different role here,” Norgaard said before the Champions League tie with Kairat Almaty. “I try to embrace it as much as possible.”

Arteta’s decision to sign Norgaard last summer was born of necessity. Jorginho and Thomas Partey departed, and with them more than 300 top-flight appearances of midfield know-how. Arsenal explored a loan for Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha but balked at the cost. Brentford’s Danish anchor, fresh from signing a new contract in west London, emerged as the pragmatic solution. Brentford reluctantly sanctioned the move after receiving glowing references about Norgaard’s professionalism.

The midfielder’s adaptation to north London has been seamless off the pitch, painstaking on it. Training sessions at London Colney are renowned for their forensic detail; Norgaard needed weeks to acclimatise but never wavered. Arteta calls him “someone who makes all of us better every day”, while Martin Zubimendi labels the Dane the club’s “best trainer”.

Team-mates echo the praise. Asked by the Premier League in February which player raises daily standards, Leandro Trossard nominated Norgaard instantly: “He always wants to set a higher standard for himself on and off the pitch.”

That influence has been particularly valuable in cup competitions. Norgaard played the full 90 minutes in all three Carabao Cup ties en route to this month’s Wembley final, and featured in five of eight Champions League fixtures, including an emergency shift as centre-half during the 3-0 win at Club Brugge. With Mikel Merino now sidelined after foot surgery, Norgaard’s readiness to step into the league’s most critical double-pivot alongside Declan Rice and Zubimendi could yet shape the run-in.

Tonight Norgaard returns to the Gtech Community Stadium, the ground he captained for two seasons. The prospect of facing Brentford, where he was once the first name on the teamsheet, carries emotional weight, yet selection remains contingent on the fitness of those ahead of him. “If everyone is available, maybe I’m the spare man again,” he conceded. “But I’ll be ready.”

That readiness defines his contribution. Arsenal’s staff credit him with normalising competition, pushing first-team regulars through the simple force of example. “Whether he plays more or fewer minutes, his attitude is immaculate,” Arteta said in December. “A really good example for all of us.”

For Norgaard, motivation is internal. “I don’t train to get closer to the team,” he said. “I do it because I feel better as a human being.” Still, frustration surfaces on the days he is left out entirely. “You feel a little bit helpless,” he admitted. “It’s about how you turn that frustration into positive energy you can transmit to team-mates.”

The personal rewards compensate. Hearing the Champions League anthem fulfilled “a childhood dream”; seeing his son Elliot in an Arsenal shirt bearing the family name moved him to tears. Back in Denmark his grandmother compiles every newspaper clipping into annual scrapbooks, a Christmas-Eve ritual that could yet feature trophy celebrations should Arsenal convert cup runs into silverware.

Sunday’s FA Cup tie at home to Wigan offers another opportunity for Norgaard to add minutes, lighten the load on Rice and Zubimendi, and edge closer to the medals that have eluded him outside Denmark. Whether he starts, sits among the substitutes, or once again assumes the low-profile mantle of spare man, Christian Norgaard’s role in Arteta’s squad is already secure: the selfless professional whose standards quietly drive Arsenal’s pursuit of success.