“He’s a wonderful, wonderful football player" - Pundit backs Arsenal superstar to win PL player of the year award
Pundit Ally McCoist believes Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has what it takes to win the Premier League Player of the Season award next season. The Norway international has gone from strength to strength to become one of Mikel Arteta's most trusted players.
Odegaard was signed on an initial loan deal from Real Madrid in January 2021 and has registered 35 goals and 25 assists in 153 games since then. He was made the club captain at the end of the 2021-22 season after Alexandre Lacazette's exit.
Under his leadership, Arsenal have finished runners-up in back-to-back Premier League seasons. In those two seasons, he has mustered 23 goals and 17 assists in 72 league games.
McCoist, a former striker at Rangers and Sunderland, told TalkSPORT (via HITC):
"I’m going to go for Odegaard [as PL Player of the Year]. He’s a wonderful, wonderful football player, he’s so easy to watch, crisp. He is such an intelligent footballer so I’m going to go with him."
Odegaard, a creative No. 10 by trade, could have to battle the likes of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, and teammate Bukayo Saka, among many other world-class players, for the award. A Manchester City player has lifted that trophy in the past five seasons, while Thierry Henry was the last Arsenal player to win the award (2005-06).
Odegaard has notably been shortlisted among five other players for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award 2023-24.
Martin Odegaard says Arsenal have to 'earn' the title after coming close last season
Last season, Arsenal mustered 28 Premier League wins — the most since the league was rebranded in 1992. They also racked up 89 points, which was just one shy of their record tally of 90 in the invincible 2003-04 season, and won the FA Community Shield for the 17th time.
Yet, they fell short for the second year running to Manchester City, who won the trophy by a two-point margin. Reflecting on the season before the start of pre-season last month, Martin Odegaard said, via the Athletic:
"It was a good season. We made history and we have to be proud. We all felt disappointed with being so close but in football, it is small margins. It is easy to look at one game, but you have to look at the whole season.
"We didn’t have the consistency to win it. We have to earn it. We know we can improve. That’s what we are working for. “It is just small details and how to deal with a long season. We were so close but we are going to come back even stronger.”
Arsenal begin their Premier League campaign on 17 August with a home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.