"The top man" - Don Hutchinson likens Arsenal superstar to Manchester City duo Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne
Football pundit Don Hutchison recently hailed Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, comparing him to the Manchester City duo of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
Odegaard has had a stellar start to the season, scoring four goals and providing one assist in 10 appearances across all competitions. The 24-year-old helped the Gunners secure a 4-0 win against Bournemouth in the Premier League on September 30, registering two goal contributions.
The Norway international is quickly becoming one of the best attacking midfielders in the league, showing great maturity for his age. Hutchison believes Odegaard makes Arsenal tick, comparing his influence to Haaland and De Bruyne's for Manchester City.
Hutchison told Premier League Productions (via HITC):
“Amazing player. He reminds me of Kevin de Bruyne in how influential he is on the pitch and how good he is on the ball. Never really panics. Always seems to make the right decisions. He gets in good areas."
He added:
“I think he is the one, when you talk about Erling Haaland, de Bruyne or Rodri, who make Man City tick, then I think Bukayo Saka, and even more so, this man, Odegaard, he is the top man."
“He’s not particularly vocal, but he does it by his actions. When they are losing games. He is then says ‘give me the ball. I still want it. I will still take it in tight areas’ – 24 and to be captain of Arsenal. What a position to be in. Unbelievable player.”
Odegaard has been a phenomenal asset for Mikel Arteta's side since joining the Emirates on a permanent transfer in the summer of 2021. He has scored 28 goals in 115 appearances to date.
Fabrizio Romano fires transfer warning to Arsenal
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has warned Arsenal not to expect everything to go their way if they launch a bid for Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto in the upcoming transfer windows.
Neto has struggled with various injury issues for the last 18 months. However, the 23-year-old has exploded into life this season under Gary O'Neil, scoring one goal and providing four assists in seven appearances.
Arsenal have been long-time admirers of the Portuguese winger, who can play on both flanks. As per FootballTransfers, Arteta was interested in signing Neto back in April.
However, Romano revealed on his YouTube channel that several other clubs also want to sign Neto. He said:
“Keep an eye on a big name for 2024, Pedro Neto, who’s been fantastic at Wolves. Really performing at a super level and very good again against Manchester City."
"We’ll let Wolves enjoy this special player because he is a Wolves player, but there’s a feeling that in 2024 many important clubs will arrive for Pedro Neto. He’s a special winger, fast, can provide assists, score goals, so a very good player, but probably underrated sometimes in the media."
He added:
"You remember one year ago that Arsenal were tracking the player, so they know Pedro Neto very well and he’s always been appreciated by people at Arsenal, but there are also other clubs keeping an eye on the situation."
"At the moment I can’t say more, but I can guarantee to you that many clubs are considering this boom of Pedro Neto, who is doing special things in the Premier League this season."
Neto is currently contracted to Wolves until the summer of 2027.