Ian Wright admits his delight over Martin Odegaard's performances for Arsenal
Ian Wright has been thrilled by Martin Odegaard's recent performances for Arsenal
Ian Wright has singled out Martin Odegaard for special praise following Arsenal’s emphatic 3-1 victory over Tottenham on Sunday.
The 22-year-old playmaker has been a regular fixture in the Arsenal team so far this season after his loan move from Real Madrid was made permanent in the summer.
Odegaard has so far scored one goal in four Premier League games for the north London side and produced a fine display as he helped the Gunners to claim a memorable victory over Tottenham at The Emirates at the weekend.
Arsenal raced into a 3-0 lead before half-time thanks to goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Odegaard helping to pull the strings in midfield for the home side.
Son Heung-Min ended up netting what turned out to be a consolation goal for Spurs in the second half as Arsenal claimed the three points in front of their home fans and notched up their third Premier League win in a row.
Odegaard appears to be settling in well to life in the current Arsenal set-up – and the Norwegian midfielder’s performances have caught the eye of Wright, who praised him for his “calm” and “composed” display against Spurs.
“It’s a not a case of how exciting he [Odegaard] can be, it’s more a case of what we know he can do,” said Wright, as quoted by Metro. “He picks up brilliant positions and he just controls the tempo of the game, constantly getting himself in the box.
“We saw him score the free kick against Burnley, but he remains calm when he’s on the ball in key positions, it’s something we didn’t do when he wasn’t around.
“We weren’t able to hold the ball in these areas, win the ball in these areas and then have the composure from a midfielder who doesn’t give the ball away.
“He’s very calm, he’s very composed. It’s the quality now it’s more than just hoping to play the ball to Kieran Tierney.
“We can keep the ball in areas where we can actually hurt teams. He’s the kind of midfielder that is going to be invaluable to us.”
Odegaard enjoyed a decent first spell at Arsenal last season when he spent the second half on the campaign on loan from Real Madrid. The midfielder scored one goal and made two assists in 14 top-flight games in his first stint at the club.
He will certainly be hoping to better that tally this season as he bids to help inspire Arsenal towards a push for a top-four finish.
