After Aubamayeng was stripped of his captaincy last season, Arteta had to make a tricky decision on who to name his captain. To cut a long story short, he opted for Martin Odegaard to be his skipper, despite reservervations from most Arsenal fans, but what a brilliant decision!
Over the years, we’ve seen some players affected by the additional responsibilities of being a captain. The captain’s armband weighs heavily on some players, but not the Norwegian. No doubt, the former Real Madrid man is a leader; you won’t see him backing orders or complaining, but he leads by letting his performance do the talking.
Out of nowhere, Arsenal this season found themselves in the title race; it is uncertain they’ll win it, but what a season this has been. Many Arsenal players have stepped up; Odegaard is one player who has been on another level; ironically, he hasn’t been making the headlines as he should, but silently, he’s having his best season ever. In 34 games, the 24-year-old has 15 goals and seven assists. Former Premier League star Micah Richards believes Odegaard could have easily been named Player of the Season if Erling Haaland hadn’t happened.
“If it hadn’t been for Erling Haaland, Arsenal’s captain would be odds-on for Player of the Year,” Richards said in his column in The Daily Mail.
“He reminds me of David Silva in so many ways, with his quiet authority and leadership.
“You wouldn’t know David was in a room sometimes, but on the pitch, he made you follow him through his brilliance, and that is what Odegaard is doing — 15 goals from midfield (and not one penalty) is just exceptional.
“Arsenal’s business in getting Odegaard on loan, restoring his confidence, and then buying him outright was a masterstroke. He’s going to get even better”
Other than Micah, the Newcastle legend Alan Shearer, at half-time on PL productions (as quoted by TBR) during the Newcastle vs. Arsenal game, couldn’t hide how “magnificent” Odegaard was in scoring the opening goal against his team, saying, “He has run the show. He has controlled the game at his pace, and he has been absolutely magnificent. You can’t give someone of that ability that much time to pick his spot because he will punish you. That’s exactly what he did.
“They’ve got to do something to stop that guy, because he’s run the show. He has been the best player by a mile.”
With his brilliant stats, Odegaard isn’t considered as highly as he ought to be. At the moment, he is arguably the most productive playmaker in the English Premier League this season and hopefully one day he will get the recognition he deserves…
Mikel Arteta buzzing after Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal – This game was all about pride..
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