Martin Odegaard brought back to earth as Jamie Redknapp claim rejected

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has rejected Jamie Redknapp’s claim that Martin Odegaard has been superior to Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne over the course of this season. Odegaard has undoubtedly been one of Arsenal’s best players since the beginning of the campaign and has led by example in the middle of the park with 10 goals and seven assists in the Premier League.

The Norwegian playmaker’s recent showings for Arsenal have only served to highlight his importance to Mikel Arteta’s plans as the Spaniard looks to bring the Premier League title to north London for the first time in 19 years. Redknapp was so impressed by Odegaard’s performance against Fulham that he insisted the Arsenal man has been better than De Bruyne this season, telling Sky Sports: “Right now he’s number one, there’s nobody [better].

“Normally we would say Kevin De Bruyne is the best midfield player, not just in the Premier League but the world, but something isn’t quite right. He isn’t playing as many games as he’d like. But Odegaard does this thing where, all great players possess it, it’s like time stands still when he has the ball.

Most players [would rush the shot], especially midfield players as we’re not used to getting in those situations. But the calmness that he possesses, he’s scored four or five goals like that with that left foot.

JUST IN: Chelsea owner Todd Boehly sets deadline for Joao Felix transfer

“He’s the captain, he’s the leader. Yeah, for me he’s number one [in the Premier League]. And he’s leading that team.”

However, Arsenal hero Petit has waved away Redknapp’s claims by arguing that Odegaard is not yet experienced enough to be comparable to De Bruyne, who has been running the show for City on a consistent basis since joining the club from Wolfsburg in 2015.

“Odegaard is definitely on the right track,” Petit told Wettfreunde. “This season alone he is appearing more and more mature, he has also become more consistent in his performances. He is irreplaceable in this team. I still see Kevin De Bruyne ahead in terms of experience and robustness.”

De Bruyne has managed to rack up twice as many assists as Odegaard in the league since the beginning of the campaign but the Arsenal man’s total of 10 goals trumps that of his City counterpart, who has scored on four occasions. However, the latter is widely regarded as one of the greatest Premier League midfielders in history and Odegaard will need to keep performing at the same level for a number of years to come in order to be ranked in the same bracket.

Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.