Mikel Arteta claims 24-year-old is ‘exceptional’ in Arsenal dressing room

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Mikel Arteta has hailed Martin Odegaard for his ‘exceptional’ demeanour in the Arsenal dressing room.

Odegaard was on fire on Tuesday night as Arsenal beat London rivals Chelsea 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

The Norwegian was picked out for Arsenal’s first goal as Granit Xhaka found him just inside the box.

No Chelsea players seemed aware of Odegaard’s presence and watched by as he crashed the ball in off the crossbar.

You would think that Chelsea would learn their lesson but they remarkably conceded basically the same goal.

Xhaka on the left flank, crossed into the box for an unmarked Odegaard to sweep home.

Odegaard was at his brilliant best in the first half and his stats for the game look impressive.

Two goals, three shots on target, two key passes, 40 accurate passes, one interception, two clearances and one successful dribble.

This is the kind of performance Odegaard needed – especially after a difficult night against Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta hails Martin Odegaard

Odegaard just couldn’t impact the game as hoped against City last week with Arsenal losing 4-1.

Arsenal needed a response from their captain and certainly got one against London rivals Chelsea.

After the final whistle, Arsenal boss Arteta was asked whether he felt Odegaard really set the tone for the Gunners.

Arteta told Football London that he thinks Odegaard has consistently done that throughout the season for Arsenal.

Arteta even added that he thinks Odegaard is truly ‘exceptional’ in the Arsenal dressing room.

The Spaniard feels that Odegard is a really good captain, so his impact on Arsenal can’t just be limited to his ability on the pitch.

That’s high praise for the 24-year-old and it looks like Odegaard will be a vital leader in the Arsenal side for a while yet.

“Yes, but I think he’s done on that many occasions throughout the season,” said Arteta. “The energy that he has, when he hasn’t got the ball, the movement, the quality, the way he is in that dressing room is exceptional. We’re really pleased to have him as captain,” he added.