Chris Sutton has praised Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, describing the midfielder as a 'special talent', and claiming that the player is the reason behind the Gunners' recent impressive results.
Odegaard spent over two months on the sidelines due to an ankle injury sustained in September, in a period that coincided with a downturn in form for Arsenal. However, since returning to action, Mikel Arteta's side have won four games on the bounce, including a 2-0 win over Manchester United on Wednesday night, and thrashings of West Ham and Sporting.
The Norwegian's influence on Arsenal's fortunes is evident, and the North Londoners have managed to close the gap to league leaders Liverpool with this run of form, to just seven points. Pundit Sutton has attributed Arteta's team's return to their fluent best to Odegaard's return, claiming that the playmaker is the main contributing factor.
Sutton: Odegaard is a 'Special Talent'
'He knits everything together'
Martin Odegaard Arsenal
Since arriving from Real Madrid on a permanent deal in the summer of 2021, Odegaard has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, and has scored 31 goals and provided 23 assists in 111 appearances in the English top flight. Integral to Arteta's team, the Gunners suffered significantly when forced to play two months of football without their captain and talisman.
Defeats to Inter Milan, Bournemouth and Newcastle, and draws to Manchester City and Liverpool came in the period without Odegaard, but his return has ignited an Arsenal resurgence. Scoring 15 goals in four matches after the international break, Arteta's outfit look back to their imperious best, and look to be in the title race once again.
Writing in his Premier League predictions for this weekend for the BBC, former Blackburn striker and now pundit Sutton emphasised the importance of Odegaard to Arsenal:
"Martin Odegaard is a special talent and he is the difference maker for them. He knits everything together, and he is the reason they are going on a bit of a run. Their confidence is growing, and they look strong all over the pitch."
The Gunners travel to West London to face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, hoping to continue their excellent run of form and reduce the points' deficit with Liverpool even further.
Odegaard's Premier League Statistics 2023/24
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Shots Per 90
Expected Assists Per 90
Key Passes Per 90
Progressive Passes Per 90
All Statistics via FBRef - correct as of 07/12/2024
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