Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has enjoyed a sensational start to the calendar year and has been compared to a former fellow Gunners playmaker.
The 25-year-old dons the armband for Mikel Arteta's side and certainly leads by example, having established himself as one of the best attacking midfielders on the continent since leaving Real Madrid for the red half of north London on a permanent basis in 2021. Much of the Emirates faithful believe Odegaard could go on to become an Arsenal legend.
However, to do that he'll need to add a few more trophies to his collection, having only won a Community Shield with the Gunners so far. Someone who won four FA Cups at Arsenal is Mesut Ozil, a player who Odegaard is often compared to given their similar position.
Ex-Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna can certainly see the similarities, as he made clear while waxing lyrical over the current skipper to Paddy Power. “I love Martin Ødegaard and the way he plays," the Frenchman explained. "He plays with passion and technically, he’s very good and smart on the ball.
"He reminds me of Mesut Özil with the left foot and the way they turn players and anticipate the runs of their teammates. He's very clever because whenever he dribbles, he looks at the body shape of every player and tries to get away from trouble when he’s under pressure."
Wenger breaks silence on Arsenal visit as he doubles down on title predictionSagna went on to add: "When he’s playing, he can analyse the defenders’ body shape and identify the space and technically he’s very comfortable to look ahead and run forwards.
"He’s a top player and Özil was the same player – very smart in the way they attract players, analyse the opposition and make the killer passes."
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Things ended poorly for Ozil at Arsenal, with the former Germany international exiled from the first-team fold by Arteta; who was once a team-mate of the playmaker's. Despite his obvious supreme talent, Ozil was a divisive character among fans and pundits alike.
Many accused the former Real Madrid talent of coming up short in the big games. No such claim could be laid at the door of Odegaard, who has already scored against Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea in his relatively short Gunners career.
Odegaard is viewed as one of the most transformative signings of Arteta's reign as manager. With Arsenal sitting top of the Premier League table and in the last-eight of the Champions League, the Norwegian stands on the precipice of something special at the Emirates.
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