Jurgen Klopp reveals what he thinks of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard
"I’m really happy he’s become the player we all expected him to be," Liverpool FC boss Jurgen Klopp says of Martin Odegaard
Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he has been a keen admirer of Martin Odegaard since the his Borussia Dortmund side attempted to sign him as a youngster.
The Arsenal captain has been earning plenty of praise for his recent performances for the Gunners and he has been a key part of the north London side’s strong start to the new campaign.
Odegaard, who was made the Gunners’ permanent captain in the summer, has scored three goals in seven Premier League outings so far and he played 80 minutes of Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Tottenham last weekend.
The Norway international joined Real Madrid from Stromsgodset in January 2015 when he was just 16 years old after Klopp’s Dortmund side had also expressed an interest in landing the playmaker.
Odegaard struggled to break into the first team at Real Madrid in the following campaigns and was sent out on loan three times – including his six-month stint at Arsenal from January 2021.
The Gunners made the move for Odegaard permanent last summer and the playmaker has gone on to establish himself as a key member of Arteta’s young team.
Now, Liverpool FC boss Klopp – whose side travel to face Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday – has revealed that he has been keeping tabs on Odegaard’s progress over the years and is happy to see him in top form for the Gunners.
Jurgen Klopp (Photo: New Balance)
“I like him a lot, that’s easy in the moment I think,” Klopp said of Odegaard in an interview with Danish media outlet TV2, as quoted by Metro. “It was a bit more difficult at the start of his career at Madrid, it didn’t look like it would work out.
“I was really disappointed about that because we wanted him at Dortmund, we wanted him as well when he was very young, we had a long talk when he was a kid still, with his dad, in the end he decided for Madrid, that’s fine.
“That’s why I’ve followed him always, I’m really happy he’s become the player we all expected him to be, and even better if you want, he has a massive role in an unbelievably strong Arsenal team.
“He’s still young, [he has a] clear mind, [he is] very influential, [I] cannot say anything negative about him, to be honest. A top player.”
Arsenal are now gearing up for a stern test of their Premier League credentials when they welcome the Merseyside outfit to The Emirates on Sunday.
The Gunners are top of the table and are currently 11 points ahead of Klopp’s side – who have a game in hand – as they look to maintain their strong start to the campaign under Arteta.
Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has challenged Arsenal to lay down a marker for the season ahead by beating Liverpool FC this weekend and keeping their spot at the top of the table.
“Liverpool is going to be a big test because you saw against Manchester United a couple of mistakes and they were beaten, that’s how small the margins are,” Wright said as he looked ahead to Sunday’s showdown.
“Liverpool, defensively they can be got at, but can you sustain it against that team because Liverpool have got the type of players that offensively can hurt you.
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard (Photo: @odegaard.98 / Instagram)
“I don’t believe that Arsenal should go into that game feeling like you’re at home you should be beating this Liverpool side the form they are in at the moment, that’s how you should be approaching the game.
“What I saw of Liverpool this is the time to play them. So Arsenal, with the belief, everyone is buzzing, no injuries at the moment, this is the type of game where, at home, they’ve got to go and beat Liverpool if we’re serious about trying to get where we want to be which is the top four and pushing Man City as much as you can.”
Arsenal could find themselves below top spot in the Premier League table by the time they kick off against Liverpool FC on Sunday.
Defending champions Manchester City – who are second and just a point behind Arsenal with a superior goal difference – will take on Southampton at The Etihad on Saturday knowing that a win would move them top and two points ahead of the Gunners.
