Arsenal summer signing Declan Rice has been outstanding from the moment he arrived, and he has helped form one of the best midfields in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta has finally been able to select what appears to be his ideal trio in Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, after a season of experimentation with Kai Havertz and Jorginho also coming in.
Arsenal still want to sign a midfielder to replace the injury-prone Partey, with Martin Zubimendi also linked, and this could potentially help form Arsenal’s middle trio for best part of a decade.
Rice has gone up a level under Arteta since his move from West Ham, and playing alongside such top-quality players has clearly helped, as he has now heaped praise on one of his midfield partners.
Declan Rice praises Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard
Speaking to TNT Sports, Rice praised captain Odegaard, for both his incredible footballing ability as well as his leadership with the armband on.
“He’s really, really good. The main thing as a captain is to have the respect of everyone and he has that. When he says something, everyone listens,” Rice stated of Odegaard.
“He’s got this calm presence about him, which I feel is really good and key in a leader. He’s not one to be shouting his head off but if something needs to be said, he’ll say it. He’ll say it in a calm way.
“The other good thing is there’s other players around, experienced players like Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Big Gabi (Gabriel Magalhães), who’ve played in big matches and know what it’s about and help out as well. I feel we’ve got a really good group who are leaders.”
How Martin Odegaard compares to former Arsenal captains Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira
Rice has highlighted how Odegaard is a captain with a calmer demeanour than some of the greats of the past, and pointed out how different his attitude with the armband is to legends Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira.
“If you look at Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, like hard-hitting centre-half/midfielders. Martin is just an out-of-this-world No. 10, he’s so special,” Rice added.
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“But he knows what it’s like to play for this club. He was here in the tough times and now he’s come through that and he’s arguably one of the best players in the Premier League this season and the last few years.
“He just makes something happen out of nothing. He’s probably the best trainer, he’s just so elegant. Just everything down to the way he lives his life, how he treats this game as a profession, he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
Odegaard has been sensational in the middle of the park this season, and has also formed an excellent connection with winger Bukayo Saka on the right side of the pitch.
Rice was West Ham’s captain, and is a leader without the armband, but Odegaard has taken to his leadership role superbly and whilst he is not an aggressive leader like Vieira or Adams, he has helped the squad develop complete harmony, whilst also performing at the top level in the Premier League title race.