Martin Odegaard Predicts “Big Future” For Gunners Starlet

By The Editor
on 1st December 2024

Martin Odegaard hails Ethan Nwaneri…

Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard waxed lyrical on starlet Ethan Nwaneri as he continues to make an impression in the first team and predicted that he’ll have a big future, Sky Sports reports.

Nwaneri scored his first Premier League goal last week amidst a cool cameo against Nottingham Forest, which was a comfortable win for the team.

That goal comes in addition to the three goals he’s netted in two Carabao Cup games and with the 17-year-old still months shy of his 18th birthday, Odegaard has been impressed by his temperament.

The skipper admitted that he’s a mentor to Nwaneri as well as the other youngsters making their path into the first team and accepted the Hale End star deserves the praise.

Ahead of our thumping win at West Ham United, the Norwegian discussed his return to action as well as his thought’s on Arsenal’s protege.

“I try to help him, I think that’s the main thing,” the 25-year-old said.

“He deserves all the praise, all the attention and everything he gets now,’ Odegaard said of his fellow attacking midfielder.

“He’s unbelievable. He scored the other day and it’s not just that, it’s just the way he plays, the way he trains with so much confidence.

“You see it every time he comes on the pitch, the fans get excited and he’s so up for it, he’s so ready, he always takes the initiative. He’s not scared.

“I love to play with him, train with him. I’m sure he has a big future ahead of him,” he added.

While fans called for Nwaneri to be thrown in during Odegaard’s absence, we’re more likely to see him in the team now that the skipper has returned.

Odegaard’s role goes far beyond his creativity on the pitch with the former Real Madrid starlet a fulcrum to our pressing system and wins the ball back consistently high up the pitch.

Mikel Arteta often deployed dual No.10s in front of Declan Rice last season and with the England star’s ability to hoover up possession, it’s something I’m sure we’ll see at some point.