Arsenal picked up yet another win in the Premier League, this time beating Leicester City 2-0 and 23-year-old Martin Odegaard was one of the standout players for the Gunners.
With the win, the North London side once again move back above Manchester United and West Ham into the fourth spot and Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Odegaard after his string of influential performances in recent weeks.
“He was terrific again today in every aspect of the game,” said Arteta in his post-game press conference.
“What he had to do in defending, when we were high, when we were deep, in the build-up phase, in the final third and the way he understands and manages the game when it’s needed.
Official: Martin Ødegaard has been awarded Man of the Match for his performance vs. Leicester City this evening. [Sky] #afc pic.twitter.com/VypiUKPoBy
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) March 13, 2022
“I think he’s come a long way since his arrival, he’s showing great maturity and responsibility on the pitch. And he makes the other players better, I think.
“We were convinced he’s a player that could fit in our club, in our model, that has every value that we want from players that represent this club and then he has the qualities that we want to do. We’re really happy with him.”
Martin Odegaard has slowly risen to prominence at Arsenal and in the previous few months, the Norwegian has really come into his own.
Martin Odegaard £30m transfer fee from Real Madrid …
Bargain for this baller ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/9RWrKFs08q
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 13, 2022
Since December, the playmaker has put out only a single poor performance in the middle of the pitch and right now, he’s one of the first names of Mikel Arteta’s teamsheet. He might have only five goals and three assists against his name but there’s no denying that he is the spark that helps the Gunners click in the final third.
After Ozil’s departure, Arsenal were really lacking that creative midfielder in the side and it looks like Martin Odegaard has risen to the occasion at the perfect time.
The Gunners still have three more games in hand meaning they are in prime position to finish in the top four but they still have to face some rather tough opponents so they are likely to drop points one time or the other.
