Alan Smith has claimed that Martin Odegaard has doubled in value since joining Arsenal.
The Norwegian international joined the club on a short-term loan last season before eventually signing for £30million from Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer. Since then, he has performed consistently for Mikel Arteta's side, notching six goals and four assists in the Premier League, with his xA (expected assist) statistic of 6.4 suggesting that his teammates' poor finishing has stopped those numbers from being even higher.
Odegaard's consistency has obviously caught the eye of Gunners hero Smith, who claims that the 23-year-old could now be worth double what the north Londoners paid for him. "What a signing he was! £30 million", he told Sky Sports during Arsenal's win over Leeds United.
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"They could double the money easily now for Odegaard." The win against Jesse Marsch's men means Arsenal now sits four points clear of Tottenham Hotspur, who they will play on Thursday night.
The young playmaker has donned the club's captain armband in recent weeks in Alexandre Lacazette's absence, but he has since claimed that all he is focusing on is winning at this moment in time. "That's all that matters, taking the three points," the Norwegian said over the weekend.
"We have to win in different ways. Last time was not our best game, but we won.
"Today, I think we played really good in some parts and in other parts, we had to fight. But we get the three points, and that's the most important thing, so we're happy."
