Darren Bent backs Arsenal man in Odegaard v Maddison wager

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Former Tottenham Hotspur striker, and Arsenal fan, Darren Bent has backed Martin Odegaard to outshine James Maddison this season. 

Both Martin Odegaard and James Maddison have enjoyed impressive starts to the season. However, Tottenham Hotspur’s Maddison certainly got the better of the Arsenal club captain in Sunday’s north London derby.

Maddison was Spurs’ standout player on the day. The £40 million man assisted both of Son Heung-min’s goals as Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw. Meanwhile, Odegaard turned in an uncharacteristically poor performance.

There are similarities between the two players. Both are attacking midfielders with an eye for goal and a high technical level.

Odegaard is a talismanic figure for Arsenal. The 24-year-old is an instrumental presence on the pitch for the Gunners, and also takes responsibility for ensuring that Mikel Arteta’s tactical instructions are carried out by the team. The £30 million former Real Madrid man can regularly been seen instructing and directing his teammates throughout matches. 

In terms of end product, Odegaard took a massive step forward last season. He managed fifteen goals and eight assists over the course of the campaign. Arteta will be expecting a similar return from the Norwegian this time around. He has already got three goals under his belt this season. Maddison, meanwhile, has racked up two goals and four assists.

Odegaard v Maddison race heats up

Darren Bent believes that Odegaard will amass more goal contributions than Maddison over the course of the season. Former Tottenham midfielder, Jermaine Jenas, is backing Maddison in this race.

Speaking on TalkSport, Jenas said, “I don’t think you would sit here right now and say to me ‘I bet you 100% that Odegaard is going to get more goals and assists than Maddison.’”

Bent responded with, “I’ll take that bet.”

A wager between the pair was then agreed. If Odegaard wins the race, Jenas will kiss the Arsenal badge. If Maddison is more successful in terms of goal contributions, then Bent will kiss the Tottenham badge.