Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle has made a major U-turn turn on Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey amid the Gunners' current UEFA Champions League charge.
The midfield pair, who cost a combined £70million, have both enjoyed extremely productive seasons for the north London outfit, who are currently fourth in the Premier League standings. Hoddle has now admitted that he was left unimpressed by the two maestros last season but he has since changed his mind following consistent displays this term.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, the Spurs icon said: "Those two looked pretty average when they first arrived at Arsenal. For me they looked ok, [they were] not too bad.
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"But they've now got their feet under the table and they're now playing at their very best. The balance between those two players is perfect for the midfield, for me.
"Whoever goes in there and plays with them, at the moment it was [Granit] Xhaka, but it could be anyone else. Those two, they've got a lovely balance, and I think that Partey now is screening that, he knows his job.
"I think he was trying to do everything when he first arrived, he wanted to be a goalscorer and get in the box. He wanted to get back and defend, as well.
"Now they're saying that's your role in the team, and Odegaard then can go and play where he's going to hurt other teams. As I say, I look at him now, he can't wait for the next game.
"I don't care who it is, he's saying 'give me the ball', and when you've got a midfield player like that, you're going to hurt teams. Yeah, they've got that lovely balance, particularly in the midfield."
Both Partey and Odegaard are likely to start on Wednesday night as Mikel Arteta's side welcome Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium in a highly-anticipated league encounter.
