‘I’m really happy with him’: Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal attacker ahead of Olympiacos tie – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that he is pleased with the impact from Martin Odegaard since his loan move from Real Madrid in January.
The Norwegian has featured for the Gunners on eight occasions this term and he has caught the eye with his quick passing and movement in the final third.
He has yet to register a goal or an assist, but Arteta is pleased with the attitude and workrate displayed by the 22-year-old forward.
He told Arsenal.com: “I’m really happy with him. I think he’s settled really, really quickly into the team and with what we demand from the players.”
“His behaviour, his attitude and his work rate has been phenomenal. He’s had better moments than others to give us the special qualities he has, but overall I’m really happy with him.”
Sportslens view:
Odegaard has spent six weeks with the Gunners and he has shown a steady improvement as he has got more minutes under his belt.
He has yet to make a direct scoring contribution, but has played in the build-up to a number of goals which are usually described as pre-assists.
Still, more is expected from the Real Madrid loanee and he will be aiming to make a mark when the Gunners face Olympiacos on the road tonight.
The Gunners make the trip to Piraeus for the away leg of the Europa League last 16 tie against the reigning Greek champions.
They played their home leg of the last 32 against Benfica at the Karaiskakis Stadium due to coronavirus restrictions in the English capital.
Arteta’s side will be familiar with the outlook of the ground and will be aiming for a better outing than last season where they scored just one goal.
The Gunners won 1-0 in the first leg of the last 32 against Olympiacos last term, but suffered a shock exit on away goals after a 2-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium.
Also read: Predicted Arsenal line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Olympiacos, Lacazette returns.
Sokratis lauds ‘very important’ Arsenal midfielder ahead of Europa League tie.
Sven Mislintat questions Mikel Arteta’s handling of two Arsenal stars.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com