Martin Odegaard is more than just Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil

Just over a year ago Arsenal pulled off an almighty coup. Desperately hunting for a No. 10 with the emergence of a young Emile Smith Rowe all there was to assume creative duties, the club signed Martin Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid.

It is fair to say not all were smitten by his arrival and resulting presence. Dashes of elegance were intermittent with the expected teething issues one would expect from a player moving to a new side and league, in the middle of the season, in the middle of a global pandemic, having been shunted off to numerous clubs around Europe previously, and who’d been carrying the weight of expectation on his shoulders since he was 15 years old.

To have expected all to run smoothly was doing him a disservice.

But it was shrewd business bringing him in nonetheless. He captured the hearts of many Arsenal supporters, left some with a sneaky crush, and others happy to seek new relationships.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1497115396343676930

Martin Odegaard is more than just Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil – he has all the traits that Mikel Arteta’s side have been lacking for years

Nobody, not one, is anything other than head over heels for him now.

Real Madrid parted with the then 22-year-old for £30m, a fee that could rise to £35m with add-ons. This wasn’t a bargain, this was daylight robbery. Even Tottenham supporters are reluctantly dazzled. They see him as the new Christian Eriksen.

Naturally, from this side of the fence, parallels are drawn to Mesut Ozil. He’s the creative linchpin in the team, arrived in north London from the same Spanish club, and possesses a wand of a left foot. Comparisons are so tough to avoid, no matter how much of a cop out they may be.

But his vision is out of this world. He knows the pass two touches in advance, then has the technical aptitude to put it on a sixpence. The weight of everything he does is divine. When you have a playmaker at your club for seven years the man to follow in their footsteps will always have that cloud of expectancy hanging over their shoulders.

Odegaard isn’t there yet. What Ozil achieved has longevity. He was the best on the planet – at least the Premier League‘s finest of his kind – for more than just three months. The Norwegian has a way to go but you’ll be d*amned to begrudge him coming close if not matching him. Not in this form. Not at this age.

There is more, though. Arsenal may have unearthed the true heir to Ozil’s prime, but they’ve recaptured the brilliance of another player who was never sufficiently replaced.

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Martin Odegaard Has Replaced Aaron Ramsey’s Engine

There are reasons aplenty why Odegaard is being touted for the captaincy. It’s not just his distinction on the ball that lifts you up off your seat, it’s how he conducts himself.

Prior to his eventual departure, Mikel Arteta lauded Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for what he ‘transmitted’ on the pitch. His commitment off the ball inspired others to follow suit, pressing and probing and maintaining a level of engagement in matches that ensured focus remained throughout. Behind him all of the way was Odegaard.

Aaron Ramsey has long since bid farewell to Arsenal but his legacy remains in tact. There is a love and admiration for the Welshman that has yet to dissipate, much of which stemmed from his unreal work rate out of possession. He never tired or, at least, never cut the figure of a man who looked like he was on his last legs, because he ran until this boots dug two feet into the ground.

Odegaard is no different. He communicates with the fans and his teammates without needing to open his mouth. He does that too, but it’s the way he triggers a response from everyone around him with undying dedication to hustle and bustle his way around the pitch from the first minute to the last.

The 23-year-old covered 12.02 kilometres against Wolves. The most of any Arsenal player all season. While as onlookers it was evident in how involved he was in every phase of play, it wasn’t noticeable in his demeanour until the collapsed to the floor at full-time. Making 50m sprints in stoppage time it was as if he’d just started playing.

Echoes of Ramsey follow in his footsteps. We haven’t seen that midfield stamina and engine at the Emirates since him.

There was a time, little over six months ago, where only one team threw their hat into the £30m ring. All summer the eyes were on one Martin Odegaard, but as far as we know, they were only Arsenal eyes.

You can’t even begin to wonder how or why. He is an exquisite footballer.