‘Capable of special things’: BBC pundit says 24-year-old’s ‘outstanding’ Arsenal display didn’t go unnoticed
Garth Crooks has told BBC Sport that Arsenal Captain Martin Odegaard is doing something special with Arsenal this season, claiming that his performance against Brighton was outstanding as he named the Gunners skipper in his team of the week.
Mikel Arteta’s men have now extended their lead at the top of the Premier League. They were handed an opportunity after Manchester City could only draw with Everton on Saturday afternoon.
And they took the chance with both hands, navigating a tricky tie with Brighton and securing a 4-2 win. Odegaard played a key role in the victory, scoring the second and setting up Gabriel Martinelli for the fourth.
Odegaard produces special display in Arsenal win
No player on either side made a greater number of key passes than Odegaard, according to Whoscored. And Crooks suggested that the quality of his display must not go under the radar.
“You can’t mention Arsenal these days without it being accompanied by the name Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian international is doing something rather special among his team-mates. He’s showing them leadership,” he told BBC Sport.
“His performance against Brighton once again demonstrated how far the Gunners have come under his captaincy. His quality on the ball has also not gone unnoticed – his pass for Gabriel Martinelli to seal another three points and stretch the Gunners’ lead at the top of the table was outstanding.
“Arsenal have always had outstanding captains whenever they have gone on to do something special. It is still early days to be talking about titles but they do have a leader in Odegaard who is capable of special things.”
Gunners looking more and more like title contenders
Arsenal’s squad is littered with players playing out of their skin right now. They have found another gear that they probably could not dream of finding so quickly before the campaign started.
And Odegaard is leading the charge with several stunning performances. Clearly, he is not a leader in the same way Granit Xhaka is. But he is doing an amazing job of skippering the side, leading by example.
He has already eclipsed his tally of direct goal involvements from last season in the Premier League. He now has seven goals and five assists, having been directly involved in 11 goals last term.
Crucially, many around him are also stepping up in a big way. And with that, there now seems to be a very real possibility that Odegaard may be getting his hands on silverware in the near future.
Their Premier League title credentials seem to be becoming more and more apparent with every performance.
