Martin Odegaard provided Mikel Arteta with plenty to be excited about during Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Brentford.The Norwegian playmaker was at the heart of Arsenal’s every attacking move, playing with an elegance and class that made him a joy to watch."The audacity and cheek of him is incredible," remarked Sky Sports pundit Michael Dawson.Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka grabbed the goals and in the young trio, Arsenal have something to build around. The question will be whether they are able to keep them at the club for Arteta’s vision to be fully realised.
Qualifying for the Champions League will help convince them that Arsenal is the place to be and the win against Brentford boosted their chances of that.The Gunners have won six out of their last eight games in the Premier League and are brimming with a confidence that will concern those around them.Odegaard epitomises that and his dummy in first-half injury time was something to behold.
Watch: Odegaard's sublime dummy
The 23-year-old looked just like Arsenal’s former playmaker Mesut Ozil as he swept his foot over the ball, fooling his marker and deceiving Brentford’s press.
He wasn’t finished there, though, producing an inch-perfect through ball to find Saka.
The clip went viral on social media and you can be sure that Ozil would be proud.
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Odegaard: We're building something special
Arteta’s side are in the running for a top four finish despite having the youngest squad in the league.
And Odegaard is excited about what the future holds at the Emirates Stadium,
“I think we’re a very, very interesting group: a lot of young players, and a lot of hungry players,†Odegaard said this week, per the Evening Standard.
“I feel like we’re building something special here with all the players and the staff.
“It’s really interesting what we’re trying to do and I’m happy with the situation, very happy to be part of the team and hopefully we can keep improving and get better each game. Then we’ll see where it takes us.â€
The former Real Madrid man wasn’t given a fair opportunity to make it work at the Santiago Bernabeu but he’s now a core player at Arsenal.
The football world is thankful for it.