The Norwegian Martin Odegaard is vastly experienced for a 23 year-old, having made his debut for the Norway senior side before his 16th birthday. He started of with Strømsgodset in his home country before being sensationally signed by Real Madrid less than a year later.
He spent a couple of years on loan in Holland and then a year back in Spain with Real Sociedad, before finally being nabbed on loan by Mikel Arteta a year ago.
So you could say he has played in a lot of stadiums over the years, but like Josh Kroenke, he thinks the Arsenal fans are a class apart. “The atmosphere in England is different to anywhere else I’ve played,” he told Arsenal.com. “I love the passion from the fans here – how much they care about football and their own team, and also the connection they have with the club. There are lots of traditions here in English football that I love and I think it’s a great place to play.”
“Well it’s true that sometimes it can be more difficult in stadiums with a big atmosphere. That’s the good thing about playing at home, you know the fans will support you, give you energy and make it harder for the other team. So for sure it can be more difficult playing away, when the fans are pushing for their team, whistling you and all that kind of thing.
“It can affect you in the game, but at the same time it’s something I really like about football. The fans are such a big part of the sport, you feel that energy when you are playing the game and that’s really cool. There’s nothing like it when you feel that backing from your own fans.”
“I’ve met plenty of fans when I’ve been out to eat or things like that,” he continued.
“It’s easy to see the interest people have, and that they really, really care about the team. It’s probably more on social media though than in public – Arsenal are pretty big on social media!
“I get a lot of messages, especially when I was about to sign here. The fans were really pushing for me to come, they were messaging me all the time, messaging my family and everything! It was something new to me, sometimes it can be a bit much, but in general I think it just shows the passion they have and how much they care.”
Considering that Odegaard has played at the Bernabeau, that is high praise for Arsenal fans, and if you look at our results this season at the Emirates, what further proof would you need that the home fans make a massive difference to the players on the pitch.
And long may it continue…
Sam P
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
Nice one future skipper.
I think Odergaard could be a very good player, he like Ozil, is technically great, unlike Ozil, he puts more effort in, just like Ozil (the later version) he doesn’t produce or score the amounts that he should be. I like players who get results, wether that be winning the ball, creating or scoring, Odergaard needs a massive improvement on his creating and scoring. Our creativity has neen poor this season, that is a fact.
I think we’ll be arguing about Ode until the day we die, Reggie! If anything he tries to be everything at once for the team. He’s at times a water-carrier, at others a CM, always a facilitator for his teammates. He is moved around a lot by Arteta and is MA’s orchestrator on the pitch.
Does he create himself enough? Perhaps not, for those reasons. Does he have goalscorers around to create for? No, he has attacking midfielders. Give him a proper striker and then we will judge. Is he the only player supposed to create goals? If you believe so then we are in trouble. So let’s spread that blame around until that striker comes.
Does he score enough? No – he’s crap, mostly because he needs to have the confience to use his right foot. That’s my sole criticism of Ode.
Guy, your analysis is as sublime as Odegaard himself!
Last season when he was on loan here, we noticed there is a change in our supporters’ behaviour, didn’t we?
This season after he arrived officially with the Fab Four, Emirates Stadium rocks!
Now, we are near top 4 with a few games in hand, comparing with our close neighbours. I dare say a place in the European Champions League is there for us to lose it!
I hope Reggie will change his mind after we have actually secured a place in ECL. Will you, Reggie? In the meantime while you crunch those game statistics, I will be happily watching the Gunners, and of course Odegaard, repeating the now infamous @Wolves celebrations weeks after weeks!
Paul READ my posts!!!!!!
Creativity has been poor? Where have you been this season? Martin is our best creative player so far. And we make chances all time, but we havent a goalscorer, there is the problem!
Quality of chances is poor, our stats for creating actual scoring opportunities are poor, not my opinion but fact.
This guy will be even shining if we get a new sharp CF next season. His assist are beautiful and has good technical.
Arsenal might need to starting talk about his contract extension after saka and martinelli ones finish.
The man is pure class and at 30 million what a bargain, and yes future Captain, he will only get better, but needs the quality around him to shine
He is better than he has ever been, i think. An that`s a credit to the manager and the club. We need an extra striker. Maybe he can talk with his friend Erling. Always nice to have old friends in a new town.
Reggie our problems has not been creating chances it’s putting it away, odegard has been a fantastic signing for us and that’s a fact, I know you probably don’t rate him and I respect that but he’s been really really good for us.
Leno, our problem HAS been a problem creating. There is creating chances and creating QUALITY chances. Our last game highlighted it, we created 26 chances but statistically only 2 were classed as goal scoring opportunities. There are chances and there are chances, ours are not quality chances.
spot on Reggie…it’s clear that he has something to offer, in that if he were playing in a League where one was allowed more time on the ball and the defenders were not quite as positionally astute he would present real problems for the opposition, but the fact that he tends to telegraph his intentions can oft-times lead to half instead of full chances…for me, he’s more like the latter days Ozil, albeit far more engaged in the defensive zone, or a further forward Xhaka, who always appears far less incisive when he’s not donning his Swiss kit, for whatever reason