What Mikel Arteta kept doing with Martin Odegaard during Arsenal vs Leicester shows huge trust

Casting our minds back to last summer's transfer window, I don't think I'd be alone when admitting I favoured a move for James Maddison over Martin Odegaard.

The Leicester City man had become a standout in the Premier League who was scoring goals and providing assists on a consistent basis.

Odegaard meanwhile was out of favour at Real Madrid and didn't exactly set the world alight during his loan spell with Arsenal last season. However, Mikel Arteta saw enough to be convinced that he was the best fit for his squad rebuild.

After completing a permanent transfer to the Gunners worth £30m, the initial signs were not entirely convincing but neither were the team's overall performances.

Just one goal and zero assists across eleven games led to supporters criticising both the player and the club's decision to sign him.

Despite this, Odegaard has gone on to become one of, if not the most important member of this Arsenal team. Five goals and four assists may not signify a huge increase but it's still an improvement nonetheless.

His game goes way beyond the numbers though. The work rate, leadership, vision and quality with the ball at his feet leaves you on the edge of your seat. He just simply oozes class.

Odegaard put on another memorable display against Leicester today, again playing a key role in the majority of moves going forward. So much goes through him and the fact that he was the one player to continuously be called over by Arteta during a break in play tells you just how important he is to the current setup.

The fact that Arteta is using Odegaard to control his tactical ideas on the pitch suggests he has a huge amount of trust in the Norway star, but also that he respects the intelligence of the midfielder. It can be