Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp and former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink have lauded Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard after his team's recent 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Gunners consolidated their position at the top of the 2022-23 Premier League standings with an away win on Saturday (12 November)
Odegaard, 23, helped his team bag their 12th win of the ongoing campaign with a brace in the second half at the Molineux Stadium. He also completed 43 passes, registered three shots, completed two successful dribbles, won four ground duels, and made seven recoveries.
Speaking on Sky Sports (via Daily Mail), Redknapp claimed Odegaard was a major influence on the Mikel Arteta-coached side. He said, "Odegaard's had a great season, a lot of people talk about different players, if [William] Saliba gets injured what might happen but I think you have to put him in that bracket as well, he's such an influential player for the team, the way he controls the game."
Heaping praise on the Norwegian, Redknapp added, "Especially heading forward, [Gabriel] Jesus is having a bit of a moment, he's playing well and doing a great job for the team but not got the goals. That's when you need your midfield players, wide men can chip in and make the difference. So, for him to get two goals is just so important for the team."
Hasselbaink also pitched in and shared his thoughts on the Arsenal playmaker, especially his pressing and dribbling abilities. He said, "When he plays like that and especially in the second half and he takes the ball and he runs at people he's very, very difficult to play against. He's hard to stop. Here, his first touch is not great but he counter-presses and he wins the ball but he keeps his head up and gives it [Oleksandr] Zinchenko."
Lauding his finish for his second goal, he continued, "Then Odegaard finds a moment again and is very calm and it's a great finish. It's not a simple finish, it's not easy but he stays very calm, here he gets the ball, gets a touch and gets it down, and just puts it in the side net and as Jamie already spoke about, he's very, very important to Arsenal."
Odegaard, who was appointed as the club's captain in July, has registered six goals and two assists in 13 Premier League starts this term.
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