Was Christian Norgaard the unsung hero of Arsenal's title win?

You wouldn’t have thought that a man who only played 101 minutes in a Premier League season could be a vital cog in a team’s title triumph - but that was the case with Arsenal midfielder Christian Norgaard in the last campaign, according to his team-mates.

The Dane moved across London last summer from Brentford, where he was captain and had been a mainstay of the side for six years, making almost 200 appearances across all competitions.

Even though he had recently signed a new two-year contract with the Bees - saying at the time he would probably move back to his native Denmark with his family at the end of it - shortly afterwards he, understandably, could not resist the lure of joining the Gunners.

Norgaard’s only Premier League start for Arsenal last season came in the final game at Crystal Palace, when the title had been won already, and he was taken off at half-time. Add that to his 56 minutes across six substitute appearances in the league and, despite some starts in the cups, you could be forgiven for thinking he may have been better off staying with the Bees.

Norgaard played 20 times for Arsenal last season, fewer appearances than he made in any of his campaigns with Brentford.

However, it is often the things that happen away from the public eye that have more impact than what occurs in front of everyone and that appears to be the case with Norgaard’s influence at the Emirates last season.

For example, when Leandro Trossard was asked in an interview who was the one

player in the squad who made everyone else raise their levels, he named Norgaard.

“He is a good example of that. He always wants to set the highest standard for himself on and off the pitch and I think is a very good pro,” the Belgian midfielder said.

Trossard was not the only team-mate to sing Norgaard’s praises. Captain Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka both agreed that Norgaard was worth listening to in team meetings.

“Norgaard said some really good words,” Rice said. And manager Mikel Arteta praised Norgaard for stepping into an unfamiliar central defensive role in a Champions League game at FC Bruges in December. “How much better he makes all of us with his attitude, with his commitment in the manner in which he prepares and then is able to perform,” he said.

Norgaard himself seems to have no problem with his lack of playing time, saying in February: “There have been no frustrations on my side. It’s a privilege to be at Arsenal.”

But what does the future hold for the 32-year-old, who also decided to retire from international football during last season?

He signed a two-year contract with the option of a third year when he joined Arsenal, but will he be happy with potentially another season as a bit-part player?

Or could he think, in what he had said would be his last campaign in English football, that having achieved his “dream” of playing in the Champions League and winning the Premier League title, it may be worth moving on to get back to playing regularly again.

Norgaard has recently been linked with a move away from the Gunners to the UAE or Crystal Palace. But wherever he ends up, Arsenal fans should appreciate the unsung hero whose quiet contributions helped pave the way for their first title in over two decades.