Ian Wright has admitted that he was left ‘very surprised’ when Arsenal initially signed Martin Odegaard because he felt that the then-Real Madrid star was too good for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Fast forward to the present and Wright thinks Martin Odegaard is in with a shout for ‘Player of the Season’ after his long-range goal helped Arsenal beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.
After being handed the captain’s armband in the summer, Odegaard, who joined Madrid as a teenage wonderkid, has taken his game to serious heights.
The 24-year-old is leading by example with the ball, scoring eight goals and supplying five assists this season, as he cooks in the number ten role for the Premier League leaders.
Odegaard first moved to the Emirates on a six-month loan deal in 2021, before they signed him up for good for £30 million (Sky Sports) the following summer.
The strides he has made have been quite remarkable, as Wright lauded the player for how he conducts himself on and off the field, as he told Premier League Productions (15/01/23 at 6:45 pm).
“When we got him on loan, I was very surprised,” said Wright. “I think I went on record by saying ‘he’s far too good for this team, at the minute with the way they were trying to progress’.
“Now we have seen that the team is going towards its end form. When you look at the quality of Martin Odegaard and how good he is in tight spaces, the one touch and the space he finds. He always picks up space. He gives himself time to pass balls in through the lines.
“This is a guy Real Madrid bought when he was 15. They saw this, but they obviously haven’t got the patience to bear fruit. Maybe that’s going to Arsenal’s benefit. You looking at the quality he has got. The humbleness of him and the way he is. The way he is leading this team now as the captain. It’s fantastic.
“Aaron Ramsdale got Man of the Match, but Martin Odegaard is chasing him close. If he carries on like this, then he has got to be in with a Player of the Season.”
ODEGAARD PROGRESSION
When a club like Real Madrid are allowing a player to leave at such a young age, then you have to question whether they well and truly rate that individual.
Even when Odegaard moved on loan to the club, he didn’t exactly set the world on fire.
But, during the past 18 or so months, he has been outstanding in the pockets for Arsenal, one of their most consistent performers and most reliable players.
Despite having such pressure on his shoulders as a young kid, he is doing pretty well to meet those expectations, as he continues to rise as a player.
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