– He is exactly what we need, says Arsenal legend Ian Wright.
The former goal machine is aimed at Martin Ødegaard, but he believes Arsenal are now so far away from the top four that it can be difficult to keep the Norwegian national team captain after this season.
– When you see where Arsenal is on the table and what level he is, why should he come to a place like Arsenal? He is much better than that, Wright believes as a guest in TV 2’s Premier League studio.
Before Sunday’s match against Sheffield United, Arsenal are in eleventh place in the Premier League. Arsenal are in the Europa League quarter-finals, but after 1-1 at home against Slavia Prague in the first match, they are in trouble before the return match in the Czech capital next week.
In January, Martin Ødegaard went on loan from Real Madrid to Arsenal for the rest of the season. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made no secret of the fact that he wants to keep Ødegaard also after the loan agreement expires.
– Ødegaard is a player who can take us to the next level, says Wright.
Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams thought the loan of Ødegaard was unnecessary, but he is not supported by his ex-teammate Ian Wright.
– Tony’s talking nonsense. That’s a crazy thing to say. Did he see the match against West Ham? Jesus Christ! If we had not had Ødegaard in that match, we would probably have lost. He was the only reason Arsenal came back. He was involved in all the scoring, kept the ball and found his teammates. He’s not a dribbler like Lionel Messi, but he uses the ball smartly when he has it. Arsenal have needed that for many years, he says of the Adams criticism.
Ødegaard stated to TV 2 at the national team gathering in March that he thrives at Arsenal, but he did not say what he thought would happen until the summer.
Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal manager after Unai Emery was sacked midway through last season.
– I do not think he knew how tough the job was when he took it. There has been a lot with the management, players in and out and the attitude of the players. They won the FA Cup and Community Shield, and that gave him time, but he is still looking for his best team. At the moment they are not good enough and not where they want to be. He needs to get the players he needs to play the way he wants, and they have to be more stable, says Wright.
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