‘He has too much confidence’: Nuno Tavares says 23-year-old Arsenal player is just fearless

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Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares has showered his Gunners teammate Martin Odegaard with praises after playing with him for a whole season.

The Norwegian initially joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in January last year. He did well in his six months at the Emirates, and Mikel Arteta made him his priority transfer target last summer.

Arsenal signed Odegaard on a permanent deal and the 23-year-old has been absolutely incredible. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale have received the most plaudits this season, but the Norwegian has arguably been Arsenal’s most influential player.

Tavares, who made the move to Arsenal last summer, has watched a lot of Odegaard, and it looks like he’s a big fan.

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Nuno Tavares praises Martin Odegaard, says he has too much confidence

Tavares sat down for an hour-long interview on the Counter Attack Podcast this week and he opened up about everything, from his struggles from the first season to the players who have helped him out.

His comments on Odegaard was definitely the one that caught our eye.

Tavares said about the Norwegian: “He has too much confidence!

“He wants the ball every time. I think for us that’s really good as we like someone who takes the ball and makes us play.

“It’s not just Martin Odegaard but you can feel it, he’s not scared of the game.”

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Odegaard really is fearless and he’s always seen demanding the ball, even when he’s surrounded by opposition defenders. That’s the sort of quality Arsenal need in the final third, and Gunners fans sure are glad they signed the Norwegian last summer.

After Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure and Alexandre Lacazette dropping to the bench, Odegaard was handed the captain’s armband by Arteta, and there’s a good chance he’ll be made the permanent skipper before the start of next season.

That would not be a bad appointment at all. Kieran Tierney was many people’s preferred option to be the next Arsenal captain, but the Scotsman’s injury issues could cost him that role.

Odegaard is rarely ever injured and plays almost every game. That makes him the number one candidate, and we expect that appointment to be made in the coming months.

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