Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are not world class in the eyes of one pundit, with William Saliba the only Gunners star receiving that stunning tag.
Arsenal are once again in the picture for the Premier League title, sitting top of the table with 77 points from 34 matches. The Gunners have a one-point lead over Manchester City, though Pep Guardiola’s side do have a game in hand, while they are three points ahead of Liverpool.
This week has already been a huge one for the title race, with Liverpool suffering a harmful Merseyside derby defeat to Everton while Arsenal and City both picked up convincing victories.
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Mikel Arteta’s side blew Chelsea away with a 5-0 win at the Emirates to make it 82 league goals scored this campaign.
Odegaard picked up the man of the match award after a devastating performance in which he registered two assists and tore Chelsea’s defence apart with some incredible passes.
Saka, meanwhile, has once again been deadly from the right flank this term, registering 18 goals and 14 assists and establishing himself as Arsenal’s top scorer.
However, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has sensationally snubbed Odegaard and Saka by naming centre-back Saliba as the only ‘world class’ player Real Madrid would want to sign him Arsenal.
“I was having this debate with a taxi driver yesterday who was an Arsenal fan,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT. “He said to me, ‘Which Arsenal player do you think is, or will become, world class?’
William Saliba Arsenal’s only world class star – pundit
“The only one I could name was Saliba. I said Odegaard and Saka are very, very good players but I wouldn’t say they are two players that would be on Real Madrid’s radar. Whereas Saliba, I would.”
Given the elite performances of Odegaard and Saka this campaign, they would be stunned if they found out about Agbonlahor’s surprise verdict.
Central midfielder Declan Rice would have something to say on the matter, too. He has been imperious in the middle of the park since arriving from West Ham United last summer, making Arsenal’s midfield a dominant force in England.
Arsenal obliterated their transfer record by paying West Ham a huge £105million for Rice, but the 25-year-old has shown why he is worth every penny.
