Former Arsenal player Alan Smith has been full of praise for Martin Odegaard recently.
The Norwegian enjoyed a solid spell on loan with the Gunners, but his move was made permanent in the summer of 2021.
Since then, the 23-year-old has become a mainstay in Arsenal’s attack, featuring in 33 of their 35 league games so far this season.
In said games, the midfielder has done an excellent job at linking midfield and attack whilst also scoring six and assisting four for the Gunners.
Now, after what has been an excellent 2021/22, Alan Smith has claimed that Martin Odegaard’s value has doubled since joining Arsenal.
“What a signing he was! £30 million”, he told Sky Sports during Arsenal’s win over Leeds United.
Arsenal’s summer business
Smith’s comments showcase how much better Arsenal’s transfer dealings have gotten in the last few years.
Granted, Nuno Tavares could do with some work defensively and Albert Sambi Lokonga is taking some time to come good. But, for the most part, the Gunners 2021 summer window was superb.
Odegaard has excelled and there is talk he will be Arsenal’s next permanent captain, Ben White has formed a great partnership with Gabriel – another recent signing, Takehiro Tomiyasu is excellent in the defensive full-back role and is very comfortable playing at centre-back if needed, whilst Aaron Ramsdale has had some superb games for the north Londoners this term.
Despite all of this, though, Arsenal are still in need of another summer of smart business, with deals for a striker and potentially a central midfielder expected to be on the agenda over the coming months.
