“We are lucky to have him here” – Martin Odegaard offers rave review about Arsenal teammate after win against Bournemouth

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has lauded teammate Gabriel Jesus following the Brazilian striker's performance in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth on August 20.

The Gunners dominated the Cherries at Dean Court with a double from Odegaard and a William Saliba rocket doing the damage.

However, it was Jesus who ran the show for Arsenal with the Gunners' new striker continuing his fine form since arriving at the Emirates Stadium from Manchester City.

The Brazilian assisted Odegaard's second strike and the Gunners skipper has heaped praise on the striker, saying (via BBC Sport):

“He is not just about goals. He gives us so much in the play and he drops down to combine. He is brilliant and he is amazing to play with. We are lucky to have him here.”

Jesus arrived at Arsenal from City in a £45 million move with Mikel Arteta's side in dire need of a new centre-forward.

Alexandre Lacazette departed the north London side following the expiration of his contract, leaving Eddie Nketiah as the only recognized striker at in the first-team.

His arrival has coincided with the Gunners' incredible start to the season as he boasts two goals and three assists in his first three appearances.

Arteta's men are top of the Premier League having won all three of their opening fixtures and look likely to challenge for a top four finish.

Jesus is exactly the striker Arsenal needed

Jesus' fine start to life at the Emirates Stadium cannot be understated as he has bedded into the Gunners side in some style.

Most of Arsenal's attacking play against Bournemouth ran through the Brazilian and he is flourishing alongside the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Odegaard.

The way he glanced past four Bournemouth defenders for the opening goal of the evening was remarkable.

The north London side have had their issues in the striker's department over the years, with Lacazette and Nketiah underperforming last season.

The duo managed just nine Premier League goals between them last campaign.

They were given their opportunities off the back of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's departure to Barcelona in January.

The Gabonese striker had long been the Gunners' talisman up top but had somewhat regressed in the latter stages of his spell at the Emirates.

Jesus offers so much more than those mentioned, his speed coinciding with his strength, which was on display against Scott Parker's side, is astounding.

He is relentless, never giving the ball up and his positioning wreaks havoc on the opposition.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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Edited by Matthew Guyett