Norway international players have been winding up Arsenal attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland about the Premier League title race, according to journalist Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter in The Independent (1:01pm, February 24, 2023).
The well-known and well-respected journalist has reported that Norway players are sending WhatsApp messages to Odegaard and Haaland and are winding them up.
It’s all in good nature, tough.
Odegaard and Haaland are two of the best and most important players in the Norway team.
And they are also big players for their respective club sides.
Arsenal and defending champions Manchester City are competing for the Premier League title this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side are at the top of the standings at the moment with 54 points from 23 matches.
City are second with 52 points from 24 matches.
Odegaard, who cost Arsenal £30 million in transfer fees (Goal), has been playing well for the Gunners this season.
The former Real Madrid creative midfielder has scored eight goals and given six assists in 22 Premier League appearances so far this season.
Haaland joined City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022.
The 22-year-old striker has scored 26 goals and given four assists in 22 Premier League starts for Pep Guardiola’s side so far this campaign.
Norway players messaging Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland
Delaney wrote: “More lightly than all the above, there is a new front in the title race: the Norwegian international squad’s WhatsApp group.
“Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard naturally lead the group, but this has offered a rare case where the rest are able to wind those two up about how the title race is going.
“It is all in good nature, of course, but both are capable of barbs.”
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