Date: 9th May 2022 at 7:00pm
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Sky Sports pundit and Arsenal legend Alan Smith has said on Sky Sports Premier League (2:19pm, May 8, 2022) that attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard is now worth £60million.

The former Arsenal striker made the comments about the Norwegian maestro while watching him in action against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as the north London outfit took a giant step towards Champions League qualification after a 2-1 win over the Whites.

The former Real Madrid playmaker has helped to fill the creative void left by Mesut Ozil at the Emirates Stadium, regularly wowing the Arsenal fans with moments of class.

The 23-year-old, who captains the Norway national team, has not only flourished on the pitch but has been praised by Mikel Arteta for his leadership skills and has been given the Arsenal armband this year.

Smith was on co-commentary duty for the match on Sky Sports.

Odegaard cost Arsenal £30 million in transfer fees when they signed him on a permanent contract from Real Madrid and the pundit believes that the 39-time international is now double that figure.

He said in the 80th minute: “What a signing he was! £30 million. They could double the money easily now for Odegaard.”

“He is the future of this club,” Granit Xhaka told TV2 this week. “He’s already captain when Alexandre Lacazette does not play. He can be very proud of himself.

“You can see how far he has come in his head, mentally. He is very young, only 23, but in how he behaves and is on the field, he looks like he’s 30. It looks like he has already played 500 or 600 games.

“He can definitely become Arsenal captain. He has the DNA in him. He works as hard every day as if he were in a fight. He does a lot of extra work. He is humble. Everyone in the dressing room listens to him. Why not?”

Our thoughts on Odegaard

Without a shadow of doubt, Odegaard is one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League and is a key figure at Arsenal.

The Norway captain has regularly showcased his flawless class on the pitch for Mikel Arteta’s men on numerous occasions this campaign, not least his sumptuous touch to get past Diego Llorente during Sunday’s clash.

So far this season, he is one of the division’s most creative outlets, sitting fifth amongst all players for key passes (64), fifth for passes into the penalty area (60), ninth for through-balls (8) and fifth for shot-creating actions (118) (as per FBRef) highlighting his tremendous influence and class in the final third for the Gunners.

AND in other news, Arsenal make “frightening” £54m-rated hitman their top target this summer…

 

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