Arsenal are reaping the rewards after taking a chance on Martin Odegaard after signing the Norwegian talent from Real Madrid in a £30million deal.
The Gunners signed Odegaard following a successful loan spell at the Emirates Stadium, and his influence on Mikel Arteta's side has been highlighted in the wins over Bournemouth and Fulham. Captain of his country, Arteta decided the best player to assume the role as club captain was Odegaard following the departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The 23-year-old scored twice against Scott Parker's side last weekend, leading the way as the Gunners ran out 3-0 winners on the south coast before scoring a crucial equaliser just minutes after Aleksandar Mitrovic pounced on a defensive mistake to put Fulham 1-0 up at the Emirates Stadium. Odegaard's performance against the Cottagers prompted Gary Lineker to question Real Madrid's decision to sell the talented playmaker.
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Arsenal clearly got themselves a better deal than Madrid, but Lineker cannot understand why the Spanish giants allowed Odegaard to leave in the first place. Real Madrid's midfield is commanded by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, but the Match of the Day host believes Arsenal's captain would have made a perfect replacement for the 36-year-old Croatian and 32-year-old German.
During Match of the Day's analysis of Arsenal's comeback against Fulham, Lineker said: "Do you know what baffles me a little bit, is how have Real Madrid let him slip away when they've got Modric and Kroos, who are really at the end of their careers?" It's a strange one because he's so clearly talented, isn't he?"
The Norwegian playmaker currently has 12 goals and seven assists in 64 appearances for Arsenal and looks set for an impressive season after scoring three goals in the Gunners opening four games. Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Odegaard after another stellar performance, and his leadership against Fulham demonstrates exactly why Arteta chose the 23-year-old as his new club captain.
"Influence, and in difficult moments, take the ball," Arteta said in his post-match press conference. "That's what he's done." Odegaard himself was pleased with the result, telling Sky Sports: "Yeah, it was brilliant. They [Fulham] are a strong team, so it's brilliant we got three points, we fought and showed great team spirit. It's an amazing feeling."
The Norway international will be hoping he can lead Arsenal to a top-four finish this season after the north Londoners narrowly missed out last term. Odegaard has struck up a brilliant relationship with summer signing Gabriel Jesus on the pitch, a partnership that could pay dividends long into the future for Arsenal.
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