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Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer was impressed by Kai Havertz in Arsenal's 2-0 win against the Hatters. Havertz set up the opening goal for Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard in the 24th minute while playing as a false nine yet again.
Speaking after the game to TNT Sports, Lockyer said(via HITC):
“He’s really at home now. The amount of times he did double movement today where he went short off (Teden) Mengi and then spun in behind, and he would have got the ball if it was played to him."
He added:
“It might not get picked up by the cameras. But they’re the sort of movements that even if he doesn’t get it, he might get the next one. Then he’ll keep going and get the next one, and eventually something will happen to him. When someone works as hard as that, making those selfless runs, then something will fall in the end.”
Arsenal won the game 2-0 and temporarily (depending on the result between Liverpool and Sheffield United) went to the top of the table with 68 points after 30 games. Havertz has registered nine goals and four assists in 41 games across competitions for the Gunners in his debut season with the club.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger tried to sign current club captain Martin Odegaard
Arsenal's legendary manager Arsene Wenger recently spoke about the time the club tried to sign a young Martin Odegaard. The Norway international burst onto the football scene in Europe at the tender age of 15 after debuting for Stromgodset in 2014.
The Gunners playmaker was chased by a number of clubs, reportedly including Arsenal and Real Madrid. Wenger, who was in charge of the north London club back then, got the player to join a training session and also tried to sign him.
Speaking about Arsenal's attempt to sign Odegaard, Wenger said (via Metro):
"Yes, I remember him (Odegaard) very well. We did fight like mad to get him. I got him in a training session and I remember Steve Morrow brought him into training with his father. He reminded me of Fabregas, good vision, good technical quality, and easy with professional players in the first team."
Wenger said that he saw a spark in the teenager but Odegaard had chosen to join Madrid instead back then.
"You could see something special there but in the end, he has chosen to go to Real Madrid."
Odegaard spent the majority of the next two seasons with the Madrid youth team (Castilla), occasionally appearing for the senior team as well. He went out on different loans post that, which ended in 2021, when the player permanently joined Arsenal.
Odegaard played a total of 489 minutes for Real Madrid, failing to register a single goal contribution. In contrast, the Norwegian men's team captain has registered 43 goals and 21 assists in 143 games for the Gunners, since initially joining them on loan in January 2021.
