One Arsenal player has been tipped to be named as the Footballer of the Year ahead of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
The Gunners have arguably been the best team in the Premier League this season. They have scored the most goals and conceded the least, but they might still end up second.
Irrespective of what happens in the title race, a number of Arsenal players need to be recognised for their performances this season. BBC pundit Garth Crooks has raved about one of them.
BBC pundit explains why Martin Odegaard deserves Footballer of the Year award
Martin Odegaard has led Arsenal from the front this season.
The Norway international is a wonderful footballer to watch. The way he moves with the ball, gets out of tight spaces and creates chances for his teammates is just incredible.
Odegaard has scored 11 goals and provided nine assists in all competitions this season.
Almost all the good things Arsenal do in attack go through him, and he is one of the biggest reasons why the Gunners are still fighting for the title. Declan Rice even claimed Odegaard is one of the best players he has ever seen.
The likes of Bukayo Saka and Rice are strong contenders to win the Player of the Year award, but BBC pundit Garth Crooks has claimed that his vote is likely to go to Odegaard.
He hailed his performance against Bournemouth and also showered praise on what a model professional he is.
Crooks wrote on BBC Sport: “The same team for the third consecutive game suggests Mikel Arteta has got nothing to lose by sticking his big guns in for the remainder.
“After all, Manchester City are in the driving seat with a game in hand and only one point behind. Arsenal look like they won’t be getting any favours from them.
“However, that background noise failed to stop Odegaard from producing another stellar performance against a hard done by Bournemouth side. Odegaard has had an exceptional season and is in my running for the Footballer of the Year award.
“He is a throwback to the days of old when the captain of the team wasn’t just one of the best players but also commanded respect, displayed a maturity, and conducted himself well. The Norway international possesses all of those qualities with loads to spare. A model professional if ever I saw one.”
READ MORE: Nigel Winterburn shares who is better – Martin Odegaard or Declan Rice
Martin Odegaard’s stats this season are incredible
Some footballers often don’t get the credit they deserve because of their statistics, while others have incredible numbers but haven’t quite been as good as the stats suggest.
Martin Odegaard, however, falls into a special category.
The Norwegian always passes the eye test – he looks absolutely incredible almost every time he steps on the pitch for Arsenal.
To add to that, his numbers this season look really good as well.
In 33 games in the Premier League this season, Odegaard averages 70.3 touches of the ball per game and has created a total of 16 big chances – more than any other Arsenal player.
The £30 million (BBC) man also averages 2.8 key passes per game. His defensive numbers look good too – he boasts 4.6 ball recoveries per game – just slightly less than Declan Rice, who averages 4.8 per game (SofaScore).
Crooks is right, Odegaard deserves to be named the Footballer of the Year for his performances this season.