Martin Odegaard has been one of the Gunners’ standout performers this season, both in front of goal and in terms of his captaincy.

Cesc Fabregas captained Arsenal for three years before joining Barcelona in 2011 (Image: Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been likened to Cesc Fabregas for his leadership qualities after an impressive first six months as the Gunners’ captain. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure in January 2021 left Mikel Arteta in need of appointing a new skipper, with the decision made to hand the armband to Odegaard ahead of the 2022/23 season.

After captaining Arsenal’s final eight Premier League games of last season, the choice to make the 24-year-old’s role as captain permanent seemed an easy one for Arteta and he has been more than justified in his decision.

Odegaard has missed just one league game for Arsenal this campaign, scoring seven goals and providing five assists from the 16 fixtures he has featured in, making him joint-top scorer alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli and as the Arsenal player with the most Premier League goal contributions so far this season.

The attacking midfielder is also at the centre of everything good Arsenal do going forward and he has played an integral role in pushing the Gunners to the top of the Premier League, perhaps proving his former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo correct on his prediction from eight years ago where he named Odegaard as one of five players most-likely to succeed in the game.

It hasn’t just been his output that has been impressive, his leadership skills on the pitch have been clear to see and he has developed significantly in the role of captain despite only being 23. That particular attribute in his game has caught the eye of former Arsenal and Man Utd defender Mikael Silvestre who compared him to a legendary Arsenal captain.

Speaking to bettingexpert, he said: “You know when Cesc Fabregas was made captain, it was quite similar (to Odegaard as captain). Very young but you are the best on the pitch.

“We’ve seen Martin talking to players, taking responsibility on big moments where you have to rally players around you and take an important free-kick. He took yellow cards when it was needed. He’s really stepping up.

“He’s a real, real asset for Arsenal and he’s growing into a technical leader, complimenting the vocal leadership of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey.”

source: https://www.football.london/