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Another Mesut Ozil could be spearheading Arsenal's Premier League charge. (Image: Getty)
Arsenal have been informed that they have a ‘new Mesut Ozil’ in the form of club captain Martin Odegaard, with the skipper dazzling as his predecessor used to on the Emirates stage. Odegaard has gone from strength to strength since arriving in north London three years ago and now wants to lead them to the Premier League title.
Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna is a big fan of Odegaard, likening the Norwegian to his former team-mate Ozil. The two playmakers share several on-ball qualities but their effort in the press could be what separates them.
Sagna also lifted the lid on how Odegaard is able to get out of seemingly impossible situations by studying the body shape of his opponents, in a similar way to Ozil during the German’s time at Arsenal.
“I love Martin Odegaard and the way he plays,” Sagna told Paddy Power. “He plays with passion and technically, he’s very good and smart on the ball. He reminds me of Mesut Ozil with the left foot and the way they turn players and anticipate the runs of their teammates.
Martin Odegaard has been compared to legendary playmaker Mesut Ozil. (Image: Getty)
“He's very clever because whenever he dribbles, he looks at the body shape of every player and tries to get away from trouble when he’s under pressure. That’s why he manages to make to special passes and if he sees a defender’s position is making him do something, he’ll always try and play the opposite way and make it difficult for them.
“When he’s playing, he can analyse the defenders’ body shape and identify the space and technically he’s very comfortable to look ahead and run forwards. He’s a top player and Ozil was the same player – very smart in the way they attract players, analyse the opposition and make the killer passes.”
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Despite Ozil’s heroics at the Emirates, he is not often remembered too fondly because of how the latter spell of his time at Arsenal panned out. He had been dropped from Mikel Arteta’s team and accused of not putting enough effort in off the ball, a stark contrast to the current captain.
Odegaard is one of the members of the first line of press and kickstarts Arsenal’s wave of pressure on their opponents. His commitment to working off the ball to win it back for the Gunners is second to none and fits Arteta’s system perfectly, as opposed to Ozil’s style of play clashing with the Spanish boss.
Arsenal’s new kit for 2023/2024 is a stylish twist on a classic as it reinvents that mid-1990s vibe. A truly modern-looking shirt with a homage to the past, the Nike kit also includes a nod to the club’s iconic Invincible’s side in the finer details while catching the eye with the lightning bolt motif
