Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has hailed Bukayo Saka as a leader and has opened up about their “great connection” on and off the pitch.
Saka’s brace against Monaco in the club’s 3-0 Champions League win on Wednesday took the winger’s tally for the season to nine goals, having also provided 12 assists in 21 games ahead of kick-off against Everton.
The England star, 23, has become one of the Arsenal’s key talismen amid their title chases over recent seasons and has taken the armband several times this campaign, including during Odegaard’s lengthy injury lay-off.
Odegaard spoke glowingly of Saka in this regard and detailed the relationship he holds with the attacker, for whom he has provided two assists this season, should his penalty-win against Sporting CP be counted.
Writing in his matchday programme notes ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Everton, Odegaard said: “Bukayo scored two more goals on Wednesday, and he’s in great form right now. Like all of us, he’s growing and learning all the time as he gets older.
“It’s a real pleasure to play with him, he keeps proving himself on the pitch and is becoming a leader as well.
“We’ve played together for a long time now, close to each other on the right side of the pitch, so we know each other well. We have a great connection on the pitch, and also off it we are good friends.
“I think that’s the case for a lot of the players in the team – we are really close off the pitch as well, and that helps us find those connections and understand each other when we’re playing.”
Saka has not netted in the Premier League so far this month after drawing blanks against Manchester United and Fulham but a goal against Everton on Saturday will take his overall tally across all competitions into double figures.
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.