The latest performance from Martin Odegaard has impressed former Arsenal star Kevin Campbell, after last night’s 2-0 win over West Ham.
Odegaard has been at the club for a year, having spent the second half of last season on loan at the Emirates from Real Madrid.
Mikel Arteta had to field either him or Emile Smith Rowe in his midfield at some point and the former Real Sociedad loanee spent a lot of time on the bench.
Since he returned to the first team, he has been in fine form and scored in consecutive matches prior to last night.
Arsenal’s game against the Hammers was a frantic one, with both clubs giving their opponent little breathing space.
However, Odegaard coped well and delivered a commendable performance.
Campbell is impressed and insists the midfielder has hardly put a foot wrong this season.
He said to Football Insider: “Wow, he’s been brilliant of late.
“The way he knits the midfield together is vital. He is a continuity player. He is very efficient in what he does.
“When you start adding goals to your game on a regular basis as well, wow, it makes a difference. He got three goals in three games prior to last night. That’s so important because we need the midfield to chip in. It is a real positive.
“I have been impressed with Odegaard. He has played well even when the team hasn’t at times.
“If he can get between 5 and 10 goals this season, I’d take that. You have to remember this is his first full season in the Premier League.
“I’m very happy with him at the moment. I think he’s doing a great job.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
After spending some time on the bench with Smith Rowe starting ahead of him, Odegaard has risen to the challenge from the Englishman spectacularly.
His form means Arsenal now has two top midfielders competing for a spot in the team. This is one of the best problems any manager can have.
Hopefully, both of them can remain in top form and Arteta can find a way to play them together again in the same lineup.
MO has the ability for sur but he must work hard….These kind of players often dont work hard and it ends up with”what ifs”….Ozil Anyone?!He seems at long last to add goals to his game….
Oh come on, he does work hard, always trying to close down. What he lacks is stamina atm, which can be improved on..
Agree about the stamina thing GD…I mean by hard work not running and pressing but scoring assisting other players goals….wich are things that you developpe in training ground
Yes I see what you mean, that’s the good thing with a young team, they can become as good as they want to be with hard work👍
I do not get the hype I’m sorry ,yes he scored a few goals ,but his lack of pace and sloppy passing are evident every match he plays ,last night was no different .
He might look good agaist the smaller teams and get away with his mistakes but I’m afraid he will get shown up as soon as we have a proper team to face .
@Dan Kit
I’m gonna disagree with you on this one Dan. Martin is a raw talent , who was spotted by a top team that signed him on the pretext of cashing in when that talent blossomed. His talent was never nurtured by his hosts and they left him to wither away. He’s finally coming into his own and his talent is showing itself. He, light any decent player, feeds off the team energy. And like the rest of his team makes, when the energy is high, they soar and vice verse…
I am not an Odergaard fan, i just dont think he makes the grade, he did play a bit better against Wet Spam but he is not very good at the hard side of being a footballer. He is very very lightweight and is limited in to what he can do without the ball. He is technically very good on the ball and has great ball control and technique but he is a flitter not a doer and i want a lot more from him. Being technically gifted is only one part of modern day football and if he can work on what he doesn’t do well, he could become a very good player. I just think another leagues may suit him better than the prem.
He’s little more than a luxury player, especially in the PL…thus far, whenever the going gets tough, he generally wilts under the weight…he’s likewise a waste of space, defensively-speaking, as he defends much in the same vein as our card-loving Swiss miss, who’s defensive skills range from foolhardy tackles from behind to an all-too-common imitation of a pylon with arms
of course, he’s not without his merits, they just aren’t at the level required to be anything more than a game-dependent specialist or “super sub”, who should be on the bench more often than not, unless we’re experiencing a rash of injuries or a ramped up fixture list…that said, should have never been purchased in light of our more pressing needs…furthermore, much like when Wenger mistakenly used to shoehorn the likes of Ozil or Ramsey out wide, Ode’s presence naturally reduced our chances to attack more directly with pace
he should have never and naturally reduces our chances
Arteta must play both Odegard and ESR at the same time, since both of them bring different aspects to the game which are important for Arsenal winning. For this to happen, Xhaka has to be benched and Ode must take his place with ESR taking the place of Ode upfront.