"He doesn’t go round shouting" - Paul Merson claims Arsenal star has takeover from Bukayo Saka as the club's best player

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has claimed that the Gunners' captain Martin Odegaard is their best player over Bukayo Saka.

Saka is widely regarded as the north London side's talisman and their best player. He has performed consistently since his senior debut in 2019. The English winger has scored 37 goals and provided 40 assists in 175 senior games for Arsenal.

Merson, however, believes Odegaard is the Gunners' best player and he leads the side by example. He said (via The Boot Room):

“He is a quiet leader, but he leads by example. I think he is Arsenal’s best player. He’s their captain and he doesn’t go round shouting the odds like some captains, but he doesn’t need to because he’s always taking responsibility on the pitch. His teammates respond to him and he brings people into the game at the right time.”

Odegaard, 24, joined the Gunners on a six-month loan spell from Real Madrid in January 2021. His move was made permanent in the summer of that year and he was later made captain after Alexandre Lacazette's departure.

The Norwegian midfielder has scored 23 goals and provided 15 assists in 101 games for the club.

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Mikel Arteta on how Arsenal have changed since goalless draw against Newcastle United

Arsenal played out a goalless draw against Newcastle United at the Emirates in the Premier League in January.

The Gunners had 67% possession and 17 attempts on goal in the game as compared to the Magpies' eight attempts. However, they were unable to breach Newcastle's defense. The two sides are now set to face off at St. James' Park on Sunday, May 7.

In a pre-match press conference, manager Mikel Arteta was asked how his side has changed since their previous clash in January. He said (via Arsenal.com):

"We will try to play the game that we want and they will want to play a very different game, that’s for sure. That was the battle when we played them at Emirates Stadium, I think we deserved to win the game. There are things that are obviously going to be different from the last game and we’re going to have to be better to earn the right to win it."

Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League table, 13 points above third-placed Newcastle, who have a game in hand.