Micah Richards has named Martin Odegaard as one of his players of the season, saying the Arsenal captain reminds him of Manchester City legend David Silva.
Odegaard assumed the captaincy last summer, following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, and could well become the first Gunners skipper since Patrick Vieira to lift the Premier League trophy.
Arsenal are currently five points clear of City at the top of the table and have recently showcased a drive and desire to never give in worthy of title winners.
Last Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s men found themselves 2-0 down at home to bottom of the table Bournemouth but managed to turn it around to win 3-2 thanks to a 97th minute winner from Reiss Nelson.
Few could have forseen Arsenal mounting a title challenge this season and even fewer could have predicted that Odegaard would be playing such a pivotal part in it.
‘I love Odegaard’s journey and the way he has put his career back on track,’ Richards wrote for BBC Sport while naming the attacking midfielder as one of his six players of the season so far.
‘He was big news when he joined Real Madrid aged 16 but then things seemed to drift and I was wondering if he would ever realise his potential.
‘Odegaard was 22 when he joined Arsenal on loan from Real in 2021 and you only get so many chances at big clubs. I wasn’t sure whether he would take off, or fade away.
‘There are plenty of examples of talented teenagers who don’t quite live up to the hype. I always think of a player called Sergio Canales who I used to buy on the Football Manager game all the time.
‘In real life he also joined Real as a teenager, aged 18 in 2010, and he was another wonderkid, who I thought was the next best thing.
‘For whatever reason it did not quite turn out that way, although Canales played for Spain and has had a very good career, he did not hit the heights I thought he would.
‘So, for Odegaard to turn things around for himself like this is impressive, especially in one of the world’s most competitive leagues, and then to take the responsibility of captaincy to inspire his team too.’
Aside from his leadership qualities, the 24-year-old Norway skipper has contributed nine goals and seven assists in 25 league games so far.
‘He has taken the challenge on and has helped turn Arsenal into title contenders, as the driving force in their midfield,’ City icon Richards added.
‘Odegaard reminds me of my old City team-mate David Silva in the way he wants to get into pockets of space, get on the ball and dictate play. He does it all so effortlessly too, and I love watching him play.’
Attacking midfielder Silva scored 77 goals and made 140 assists in 436 games for the Citizens, winning four league titles, two FA Cups and five League Cups, as well as the World Cup and two Euros with Spain.
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