ODE TO MARTIN
‘This is what we wanted from Ozil’ – Arsenal legend Ian Wright aims sly dig at former star in praise of Odegaard
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IAN WRIGHT has claimed that Martin Odegaard is now performing to the high level that Mikel Arteta expected from Mesutz Ozil at Arsenal.
The 23-year-old former Real Madrid star played another key role to help the Gunners to a 2-0 win over Leicester on Sunday.
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The Norwegian shone on loan from the LaLiga side last season, leading to Arteta forking out £30million for him last summer.
That was after he was brought in as a replacement for Ozil, who Arsenal allowed to leave for nothing in January 2021 to sign for Fenerbahce.
The German World Cup winner had fallen out with Arteta and failed to adapt to the Spanish manager’s methods despite his huge £350,000-a-week wages leaving the North London side crippled financially.
After watching Odegaard star against the Foxes, Arsenal legend Wright was full of praise for the playmaker.
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And he says that the star is producing exactly what Arteta ‘wanted’ from Ozil.
Wright told Match of the Day: “There’s a calmness around the club and I think Odegaard in the way that he plays he’s one of the main reasons for that.
“For me the ‘playmaker’ is back. You know, the no10 and the way that he’s playing.
“The way that he gets in those positions that he gets into but then it’s the calmness. Like I said he doesn’t rush.
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“This is what you want, this is what you want from a midfielder not just somebody that’s going to go sideways…it’s ‘bam’.
“All of a sudden Lacazette gets half a second and he has a shot. That’s what he can start doing now because he’s getting a pass like that.”
Wright added: “This is what we wanted. This is what we wanted from Ozil. This is the type of play. This is nice play. It’s easy, simple movement.
“When you’ve got young players watching players like this [Odegaard] who has that type of ability, don’t get yourself in that physicality [physical battle] he gets himself on the periphery of everything and just keeps everything very simple.
“He has loads of space around him. That’s the confidence flowing through him.
“The thing with him is he’s incisive but he’s not too Hollywood. Look at his numbers, that’s what you want from your creative midfield players and that’s what we’re getting from him. So happy.”
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