Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has described Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard as “a really, really good player”.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said last week that the Norwegian international is someone that Guardiola would sign “in a heartbeat”, and when asked about those remarks, the City boss replied:

“He’s an exceptional player. He settled really good and he became a captain because on and off the pitch as well. He shows consistency playing a lot of games. He suits perfectly the idea for Mikel from Arsenal. He’s a really, really good player.”

With Odegaard having just signed a new 5-year contract with the Gunners, there is clearly no prospect of City making a bid for the 24-year-old anytime soon but it’s clear that Guardiola is a big admirer.

City already have their own Odegaard

Kevin De Bruyne plays a pretty similar role to Odegaard, and you won’t hear any City fan wanting to swap the two players.

The Belgian international is a phenomenal playmaker and, while he may be out injured at the moment, he is the club’s talisman, who has been integral to their success in recent years.

Would Odegaard be considered as a transfer target in the future?

Although Guardiola is obviously a fan of Odegaard, there is no real need to buy a player of his profile with De Bruyne still at the height of his powers.

At 32 years of age, there is a case to be made that a replacement will need to be found for the Belgian eventually. In fact, there have been reports that contract talks have been postponed, despite the fact that he has less than two years remaining on his current deal.

However, you would still expect De Bruyne to sign an extension to keep him at the Etihad beyond 2025.

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