Former defender Bacary Sagna believes anyone criticising Martin Odegaard’ is ‘crazy’ following what has been 95 ‘amazing’ Arsenal performances.
Despite the Arsenal captain managing three goals and one assist in the Premier League in just nine appearances, his numbers, as well as performances, are still a long way short of the levels he reached last campaign, and that has been noted.
Sagna disagrees that Odegaard’s current form is worthy of criticism though.
“This is the problem with football. Players will always be criticised and people will always have opinions [on players],” he told Genting Casino.
“It’s human nature to question why a player that has performed so brilliantly isn’t doing so well at any given moment, but if you looked at Odegaard’s last 100 games for Arsenal, you could say that in 95 of them he has been amazing.
“It is possible for a player to have a few bad games. At the moment, Odegaard isn’t playing his best football, but that is normal. Look at what he has done throughout his time wearing the shirt. It’s crazy to be critical of Odegaard without considering his body of work when playing for Arsenal.”
During his time at the Emirates, Odegaard, who signed from Real Madrid in 2021, has shown why Los Blancos invested so much money and resources in his development, and although his career in Spain didn’t quite work out the way it was intended, the playmaker, now a leading Premier League midfielder, has certainly shown why he was once considered one of Europe’s most high-potential players.
And while Odegaard, who is valued at £78 million (TM), will undoubtedly be keen to improve his output, there is still plenty of time for the Norway international to replicate last season’s form as he, and Mikel Arteta, remain on course to challenge for the Premier League title for the second time in as many years.