Cesc Fabregas includes current Arsenal star and Gunners’ 3 active Premier League rivals while naming dream 6-a-side team
Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas named Gunners skipper Martin Odegaard and three other current Premier League stars in his dream six-a-side team.
First up was the Spanish midfielder's former Chelsea teammate Thibaut Courtois, with the duo having shared the pitch 136 times across competitions for the Blues.
Fabregas then decided to go with current Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker and said (via SPORTbible):
"You need to have a good defender in there."
Putting together his midfield trio, Fabregas first named Odegaard and chose the Manchester City duo of Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva. Odegaard has been sensational for the north Londoners this season, having bagged 11 goals and nine assists in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Foden has been considered one of the players of the season, having contributed 22 goals and 10 assists in 47 matches across competitions. His club teammate Silva has played 42 matches in total this season, bagging 11 goals and five assists.
After running through his midfield, Fabregas gave Kylian Mbappe the nod to lead the line for his side. He said about the French World Cup winner:
"It's all about technique in my team... and then to finish off the chances I'm going with Mbappe."
Mbappe is widely considered one of the best players in the world. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has appeared 302 times across competitions for the Ligue 1 side, bagging 253 goals and 107 assists.
Mikel Arteta lavishes praise on Arsenal captain after dominant display against Chelsea
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lavished praise on team captain Martin Odegaard after his performance in the Gunners' 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea in the Premier League on Tuesday (April 23).
The Norway international pulled the strings in midfield while bagging two assists on the night. One of those was a sublime pass from within his own half in behind the Chelsea defense to set up Kai Havertz for the Gunners' third of the night.
Arteta said about Odegaard's signing after the game (via Football Transfers):
"We saw (his talent), and Edu especially was very insistent. We both agreed he was a player with huge talent who could develop with us. We had the loan period. He was exceptional. He was convinced he could add something special to the team and kept going."
Odegaard was signed permanently from Real Madrid for a reported £30 million fee in the summer of 2021 after completing a six-month loan spell at the Emirates. Since then, the 25-year-old midfielder has made 149 appearances across competitions for Arsenal, bagging 35 goals and 23 assists.