Nigel Winterburn says "sensational" Arsenal star deserves club's Player of the Season award ahead of Declan Rice
Pundit Nigel Winterburn has opined that Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard should be named the club's Player of the Season. England international Declan Rice is leading the race to be voted as the Arsenal Player of the Season following an impressive debut campaign.
It showed a lot of intent when Arsenal smashed not just their transfer record, but the transfer record for a British player, to sign Rice from West Ham. The midfielder was signed as the last piece of the puzzle that saw them fall short in 2022-23, and he has been nothing short of sensational.
Declan Rice has more than shown that he was a good investment for the Gunners, and has received great recognition this season. He has scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 49 games so far in the season. The England international finished second behind Phil Foden in the FWA Player of the Year voting.
Former Premier League star Winterburn, however, believes that Martin Odegaard has had a bigger impact on the Gunners this season. The Norwegian has 11 goals and nine assists in 46 outings.
In an interview with Stadium Astro, he praised the qualities shown by Odegaard throughout the season, as well as his leadership.
“Listen, will he (Rice) win Player of the Season at Arsenal? It’s going to be huge, Saliba has been outstanding, Saka has been outstanding, Odegaard has been sensational as well. Whoever gets that award will fully deserve it," Winterburn said.
“Who would I pick? Personally I would pick Odegaard, I just love the way he has played this year, he leads the press for Arsenal and he sets off a lot of chances. For a player that skilful to work so hard for the team. He does everything. I would just about give it to him," he added.
Both Odegaard and Rice were in the top six for the FWA Player of the Year, and they can be expected to appear on more lists by the end of the campaign. Both men are responsible for trying to get the Gunners over the line in a tense title race.
Arsenal defeat Bournemouth to keep PL top spot
Arsenal overcame Andoni Iraola and his Bournemouth side to maintain their lead atop the Premier League standings. The Gunners claimed a 3-0 win over the Cherries on Saturday (May 4), but the scoreline does not tell the full story of the game.
The Gunners were thwarted until Kai Havertz collided with the Bournemouth goalkeeper at the stroke of half-time, allowing Bukayo Saka to score the penalty. They were lucky from the start of the second half as Bournemouth saw a goal ruled out by the VAR, and they missed a presentable chance.
Leandro Trossard (70') and Rice (90+7') added two more goals to add gloss to the scoreline in front of their fans. The Gunners momentarily went four points clear of Manchester City, who have moved to within a point after a 5-1 win over Wolves.