Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has revealed the one thing that surprised him the most about Mikel Arteta. The Norwegian playmaker has enjoyed his best season in the Premier League since arriving at the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid and has put it down to the Gunners boss.
Odegaard's form this season has led to him being compared to Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne. The Arsenal captain has scored 10 goals and provided a further seven assists as he aims to help the Gunners lift their first Premier League title since 2004 this season.
Whilst the 24-year-old was disappointed to be knocked out of the Europa League earlier this month, Odegaard admitted it could benefit the north Londoners' Premier League title challenge. The Norway international was signed on a permanent deal in 2021 after impressing during his six-month loan spell at the Emirates Stadium from Madrid, and has now become a key player for Arteta.
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The Arsenal boss has been a key reason for Odegaard's impressive development in the last two years, with the 24-year-old now operating in a No.8 role in midfield, which has helped improve his goal scoring and assist output.
The Norwegian playmaker has now revealed that Arteta's attention to detail is the one thing that has surprised him the most during his time at the Emirates Stadium working under the Spaniard.
Odegaard told Norwegian outlet TV2: "It has surprised me, actually - how detail-oriented he and the whole team are. I’ve never encountered anything like it, with people who see football that way and who see details as specifically as he does.
"It can be simple little things or more big things. It’s extremely detailed and a lot of little things we talk about, watching videos after every game and all that.
"It’s fun working with him [Arteta] and the team. It works."
Odegaard has previously revealed that one of the key reasons behind his move to Arsenal was a conversation he had with Arteta. During an in-depth interview to The Players' Tribune, he said: "I spoke to Mikel Arteta on a Zoom call and he told me all about the project.
"At the time, Arsenal were not doing well. They were way down like 15th in the table, but that meeting… honestly, I challenge anyone to come away from a meeting with Arteta and not believe everything he tells you.
"He is next level. It's hard to explain," Odegaard continued.
"He’s passionate, he’s intense and sometimes, yeah, he’s a bit crazy … but when he speaks, you understand that whatever he says will happen, will happen. He told me his plan, everything he was building towards.
"He knew exactly what needed to change at the club. He told me all about these amazing young players in the squad — Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe, and so on.
"He told me how he wanted me to fit in and how I was going to improve. I got this strong feeling that he was onto something really special."
Arsenal are now reaping the rewards from Odegaard's performances and Arteta's attention to the finer details, which is something that January signing Jorginho also admitted was one thing that impressed him after completing a £12million move to north London from Chelsea.
The Gunners boss has helped develop and improve a number of players that are now flourishing for Arsenal as they look to achieve success in the form of a Premier League title this season.
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