Stephen Warnock says Arsenal star Martin Odegaard, who was ’touted about to Liverpool’ as a youngster, has had a ‘fascinating career’.
The former Liverpool left-back spoke about Martin Odegaard’s rise as a teenager wonderkid, signing for Real Madrid at 15 and later on becoming Arsenal captain.
It has been a story-filling journey for the 24-year-old, with Warnock praising the playmaker for reaching such levels after having so much pressure being put on his shoulders from a young age, as he told Football Focus.
It wasn’t so long ago that Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, branded Martin Odegaard as a ‘PR signing’ by the club’s president, Florentino Perez.
Well, during the summer of 2021, when Real Madrid sold the Norway star to Arsenal for £30 million (Sky Sports), many more might have believed those claims.
But the player himself, and manager Mikel Arteta, have now ensured that all the hype as a youngster is now starting to come to the boil.
Martin Odegaard’s rise
“What we normally associate Odegaard is with the assists, but the goals are racking up now,” said Warnock.
“I think it has been a fascinating career, when you think about him as a youngster and he was touted about to Real Madrid, Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea. Everyone was after him.
“So, there was huge pressure on him as a kid to live up to that expectation. It’s no surprise and no shame that he had a period where it just didn’t quite happen for him. Who could deal with that? How many players are able to cope with the pressure of being ‘the next big thing in football?’ It has taken him a while to find the right home for himself and the right manager.
“But he looks at home and he looks such a good player, at the moment. Every time Arsenal play well, he is at the forefront of it. He instigates everything. Makes sure the team is ticking well. He is a brilliant player.”
Martin Odegaard – one of the Premier League’s best
Kevin de Bruyne is perhaps the benchmark for playmakers or attacking midfielders in the Premier League today.
The Treble-winning star with Manchester City sits at the top of the pile, but it could be argued that Arsenal’s heartbeat is the next one on the list.
The numbers, both in terms of goals and assists, that Odegaard is racking up are pretty incredible.
Last season, as Arsenal shot themselves in the foot in the Premier League title race, he scored 15 goals and supplied eight assists from midfield.
Odegaard already has two goals to his name this term, including his first-ever Champions League goal in midweek as Arsenal brushed aside PSV, so he has picked up where he left off.
The post ‘He was touted to Liverpool’: BBC pundit says £30m Arsenal star has had 'fascinating career' appeared first on HITC.
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