“He brings the atmosphere up at the Emirates” - Fabregas names Arsenal star as modern player who reminds him of himself
Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has claimed that current Gunners captain Martin Odegaard reminds him of himself. The Spaniard was considered one of the best midfielders of his generation and sees a bit of himself in the Norwegian.
The Arsenal captain joined the club from Real Madrid for £30 million in 2021 after a successful loan spell in the previous season. Odegaard has played 153 games for the North London outfit, scoring 35 goals and providing 25 assists.
Fabregas spent seven years with the Gunners, making 303 appearances and recording 57 goals and 94 assists. The Spaniard heaped praise on the Norwegian midfielder in a recent interview with the BBC. He said:
"I really like Odegaard. The position, the character and the profile of the player he is today for Arsenal reminds me a little bit of myself in my time. I got to know him, great guy, great professional and leader."
Fabregas added:
“Reminds me of when I was captain and young. He brings this [same] energy, when they’re winning, when they’re losing or even drawing. He brings the atmosphere up at the Emirates and it reminds me of myself.”
Martin Odegaard has established himself as a key part of Mikel Arteta's team and will be keen to claim the English Premier League title with the club.
Arsenal midfielder urges positivity from press ahead of England group game
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has urged the English press to be more encouraging in their reporting about the Three Lions. The Gunners midfielder spoke ahead of England's final group-stage game at Euro 2024 against Slovenia after a wave of criticism from the press.
The negative opinions began flooding in after England drew against Denmark in their last game and Rice feels the response was unfair to younger members of the squad. In conversation with ITV, the midfielder said:
"I think that they have been where I’m sat and where our other players have sat and not done well at tournaments. So look, I don’t know why we feel like it’s such a negative thing. We’re talking like we’re going out of the tournament here. You know, we’re top of the group, we need to stay positive, stay upbeat. Let’s have some positivity going into games."
Rice added:
"Let’s, give players the best confidence in the world. Your players like your Phil Fodens, your Sakas, your Bellinghams, tell them they’re the best players in the world. Make them read that and think ‘I’m gonna go out there and perform and and give it absolutely everything’ rather than reading a negative comment sitting on their mind and then thinking that they can’t play a certain way. That’s the way I think about it.”
England are one of the favorites to win Euro 2024, but have been underwhelming in their opening two matches of the tournament.