Arsenal superstar has proven to Arteta he’s ‘the first’ pick as icon has fight for his place back | OneFootball

Rio Ferdinand feels that Eberechi Eze has proven to Mikel Arteta he has to be “the first name” on the sheet at Arsenal, forcing Martin Odegaard to fight for his place, despite being captain.

Arsenal are one of the form sides in Europe. They top the Premier League by six points, having lost just once this term, while they’re still yet to drop a point in the Champions League.

Their defence has been the basis of their current success, with just six goals conceded in 12 Premier League games, and none in the four European fixtures so far.

But Arsenal are also the joint-best scorers in the Premier League, with 24 goals – four of those coming in the weekend’s win over rivals Tottenham.

The standout player in that game was summer signing Eze, who notched a hat-trick as the Gunners won 4-1. In all this season, the midfielder has five goals and three assists, and Ferdinand feels he’s earned the right to be the first pick at Arsenal.

He said on Rio Ferdinand Presents: “He’s getting the ball in better areas, more often. He’s going to have more opportunities to hurt teams and be a threat.

“We talk about depth, [Martin] Odegaard has been someone who, if he’s fit, he’s going to play.

“Right now, Eze has just said to Mikel Arteta, ‘you need to rethink that and I’ve got to be the first name. I’ve got the shirt, Odegaard’s got to come and get it back off me.’ Even though he’s the captain.”

Sao far this season, Odegaard has played just 294 minutes across all competitions, with Eze enjoying the fruits of the Norwegian’s injury.

Odegaard was said to be very close to being part of the squad to face Tottenham, but was deemed not quite ready.

That suggests that he will be back in the mix very soon, but after Eze’s hat-trick, it’s not likely he’ll displace him immediately, and will most likely come on off the bench to replace him.

As such, if Eze can continue in the form he showed against the north London rivals, he could keep his spot indefinitely, in what looks one of the strongest midfields in Europe, alongside fellow thriving men Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi.

With the latter pair putting in strong performances, it could be tough for Odegaard to regain a role in the midfield any time soon.