Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes James Maddison cannot be compared to Martin Odegaard
Former Arsenal star and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson favours Martin Odegaard over Tottenham Hotspurs’ James Maddison via a tweet. Paul Merson’s tweet says, “Maddison isn’t better than Odegaard.”
Martin Odegaard and James Maddison find themselves among the Premier League’s most hardworking midfielders. The duo are known for their work rate and creativity at the centre of the park. Odegaard has been a crucial part of the Gunners squad since 2020. Whereas, James Maddison joined the Lilywhites just this season.
Merson favouring his former team’s skipper via X has flooded the comments section, mostly in the Spurs midfielder’s favour. The Norwegian boasted a scintillating season last term with 15 goals and eight assists. James Maddison could gather only 10 goals and nine assists.
The former Leicester man could never match Odegaard’s G/A best but has always ended up with better numbers than the Arsenal captain (except for last season), as highlighted by this fan.
Settling the debate
James Maddison was having a dream start with his new club before succumbing to a long-term ankle injury. The English midfielder amassed nine G/A (3/6) from just 11 games. He limped off the pitch at half-time in the 11th game of the season.
Martin Odegaard is having a sub-par season (as per his standards) so far. He possesses eight goal involvements (4 goals and 4 assists), one lesser than Maddison despite playing seven games more. However, comparing the duo in numbers will be quite unfair.
In all honesty, these two cannot be dissected to prove who is better than whom. Both are very important for their respective clubs and are tasked with setting the tone of the game. The Premier League battle this term is quite intense with both North London clubs in contention.
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The Londoners will be chasing league leaders Liverpool and all-time favourites, Manchester City. The Gunners are third in the league table with 43 points. Spurs trail right behind at the fifth spot with 40 points.
