Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped praise on captain Martin Odegaard and teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri following their dominant 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest.
The win was Arsenal’s first in five Premier League games, as the Gunners were rampant from the start with Odegaard once again pulling the strings as he is back to 100 percent fitness following his two-month injury layoff.
Odegaard linked up deliciously with the excellent Bukayo Saka for Arsenal’s opener and the Norwegian midfielder excelled throughout, dictating the tempo of their play and knitting midfield and attack together seamlessly.
Arteta isn’t surprised.
“It’s not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when he is playing,” Arteta told the BBC when asked about Odegaard’s display.
It really was amazing to see how Saka, and Arsenal’s entire attacking unit, looked way more cohesive and full of energy with a fully-fit Odegaard back pulling the strings.
Arteta also reserved special praise for 17-year-old Nwaneri, who dazzled when he jumped off the bench and scored his first-ever Premier League goal to seal the win.
“He is the second youngest [Premier League goalscorer] in our history. That’s a story in itself,” Arteta told the BBC’s Match of the Day. “He’s brave. You see the reaction of fans and they were singing ‘he’s one of our own’ I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn’t get dry. Hopefully we can build a beautiful thing with him.”
Nwaneri danced past a few Forest defenders and curled a shot inches wide just before he finished off Raheem Sterling’s cutback calmly for his first top-flight goal. He already has four goals in all competitions this season, as he’s scored three in the League Cup before his landmark first Premier League goal.
The 17-year-old has long been earmarked for a bright future and he now seems ready to break through and have an impact off the bench consistently.
Arteta will wrap Nwaneri in cotton wool the same way Pep Guardiola treated Phil Foden, and at this stage Nwaneri looks set to be a real star in the Premier League. His balance, acceleration, ability to find pockets of space and calmness on the ball is something a manager can only dream of.
Saka, Odegaard and Nwaneri linking up to lead a silky Arsenal side over the next decade isn’t something Gunners fans need to dream about. It’s reality.
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