Step aside Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard wants another Arsenal star’s best trait over anything else

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Arsenal have a plethora of talented footballers in their current squad, many of whom have some outstanding attributes.

Bukayo Saka is capable of taking on any full-back in the world, with his exceptional close control and upper body strength making him a threat in all one-on-one situations.

Meanwhile, Declan Rice’s stamina and relentless energy is ridiculous, and Gabriel Magalhaes’ physical power is monstrous.

However, one other star boasts perhaps the most exciting attribute of them all.

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Martin Odegaard says he wants Gabriel Martinelli’s pace

Arsenal dismantled Real Madrid 3-0 on Tuesday night, in a game that showcased the best of Mikel Arteta’s team.

Rice was superb against Los Blancos, while Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly and William Saliba were also excellent.

However, Gabriel Martinelli’s performance perhaps went under the radar for the Gunners.

The Brazilian pressed excellently, while his relentless running in behind and electric pace on the ball threatened the Real Madrid back-line throughout.

Asked to pick between adopting Saka’s dribbling, Rice’s stamina, Gabriel’s strength and Martinelli’s pace in an interview with Sky Sports, Martin Odegaard selected the wide man’s speed.

“I would probably go with Martinelli’s speed,” the Arsenal captain said.

“He’s so quick and I don’t think I’m the quickest player, you know, so it would be something nice to add to my game.

“I would take that.”

Gabriel Martinelli’s statistics for Arsenal this season

While Martinelli is certainly quick, he hasn’t always been able to use this trait to the best of his ability this season.

The 23-year-old has struggled to convert blistering pace into value in the final third, scoring just seven goals this campaign in all competitions.

His underlying numbers remain healthy, but far from the elite levels that he was able to produce in the 2022/23 season.

Managing 0.45 non-penalty expected goals and expected assists per 90 minutes, he’s still capable of producing at a relative impressive rate.

Arteta will hope the green shoots he’s shown in recent matches are a sign that Martinelli is back to his best.