Paul Merson has praised Arsenal attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard in The Daily Star and has admitted that he has been proven wrong about him.
The former Arsenal star has been really impressed by the impact the 23-year-old is making at the Gunners at the moment.
The Sky Sports pundit has admitted that he did not expect Odegaard to be this good at Arsenal.
Merson wrote about Odegaard in The Daily Star: “Martin Odegaard has proved me wrong and is becoming the leader Arsenal need to pass their toughest test yet. He is the main man there now and the first name on the teamsheet for me. He has really improved and is doing the business. I think the players respect him because they can see he’s a real player. I didn’t see it at first, I have to admit.
“It looked like he didn’t really want to leave Real Madrid, and I didn’t think he pulled up any trees on his loan spell at Arsenal. He could have sulked and lost his confidence when Madrid didn’t want him any more, but he’s playing better than ever now. He’s Arsenal’s go-to man and he makes them tick.
“He isn’t a leader in terms of running around and kicking people or barking out orders. But in terms of the way he’s playing he is. The way he’s turned it around people are looking at him now and fair play, he has done very, very well. He always wants the ball and knows how to use it. That’s leadership too.”
Martin Odegaard a big player for Arsenal
In our opinion, Odegaard is a big player for Arsenal and is showing what he is capable of.
The 23-year-old struggled for playing time at Real Madrid, but after a loan spell at Arsenal, he is now showing to the Emirates Stadium faithful what he can do if the manager has faith in him and plays regularly.
Just like Mikel Arteta does.
Odegaard is a very creative playmaker who has vision and can pick out his teammates with precision.
The Norway international attacking midfielder has started to add goals to his game, and that can only help him develop his game ever further.
The Arsenal no. 8 has scored five goals and given three assists in 22 Premier League starts so far this season.
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