Arsenal captain Odegaard shares Saka fact people may not know about

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has told the Evening Standard that Bukayo Saka is “taking more and more responsibility”.

The Gunners skipper also stressed that, contrary to popular belief, the 21-year-old is not as shy in the dressing room as he appears in public.

Both Odegaard and Saka have been crucial to Arsenal’s progress from European qualification hopefuls to bona fide title challengers.

At Arsenal, Odegaard is finally fulfilling the potential he showed when he joined Real Madrid as a teenager.

He is also the Gunners’ youngest captain since Cesc Fabregas, as well as being the captain of Norway.

Meanwhile, Saka has progressed from the Hale End ranks to become a star for club and country.

“In terms of what we’ve been through – Bukayo, me and some of the other boys as well – we’ve been through a lot already,” said Odegaard.

“You have to use it in the best way. A young kid can have more experience than the old guy, you know?

“It’s not about the age but what you’ve been through and what you’ve learned on the way.”

Odegaard then talked up Saka’s growing leadership qualities.

“He can be loud when he needs to be,” Odegaard continued.

“He says what he wants and he’s taking more and more responsibility.

“People have this [impression] where they see a player and think he’s like this [all the time] but inside the dressing room people are different.”

Start of a new era of glory?

Odegaard looks like he could go on to be Arsenal’s captain for the next 10 years at least.

He and Saka are the kind of players you can build your team around.

And it’s great to hear that Saka is also looking like future captain material.

Hopefully the next step will be for him to sign a new contract way above the £70,000-a-week he currently earns.

It’s taken a while for Arsenal to build the foundations for future success.

If they continue to play their cards right, a new era of glory awaits.

Tonight is the big litmus test for Arsenal, who take on Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.

Saka is pretty much a shoo-in on the right flank, and hopefully he (and the rest of the team of course) have a great game and get the right result.