'Crazy': Emile Smith Rowe says Arsenal have a player who's actually better than Kevin De Bruyne
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Emile Smith Rowe may not be an Arsenal player anymore, but he still has a serious soft spot for the Gunners.
Indeed, Smith Rowe found it hard to leave Arsenal for Fulham in the summer, and that speaks to just how much he loves the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Fulham midfielder has been asked to name who he believes is the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League, and he's reserved some special praise for one Arsenal player in particular.
Indeed, Smith Rowe says that Martin Odegaard is the best attacking midfield player in the Premier League, putting him ahead of Kevin De Bruyne.
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Emile Smith Rowe hails Martin Odegaard
Smith Rowe spoke highly of the Arsenal captain.
The Fulham ace says that Odegaard is the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League, and he believes that he's even better than De Bruyne.
"The best attacking midfielder in the league is?" Smith Rowe was asked.
"My ex-teammate, Martin Odegaard,' Smith Rowe said.
"Yeah man he's probably one of the best I've played with to be honest. Obviously there's KDB who is probably my favourite player in the Premier League but seeing someone everyday how they live and how they play and just how they perform every week. It's just crazy, one of the best I've been around."
Martin Odegaard compared to Kevin De Bruyne
Smith Rowe makes a big claim here when claiming that Odegaard is better than De Bruyne.
De Bruyne is, of course, a two-time PFA Player of the Year winner and a six-time Premier League champion, and these two players' stats show that, historically, De Bruyne has been the better player.
| Martin Odegaard stats | Kevin De Bruyne stats | |
| Games | 131 | 270 |
| Goals | 32 | 70 |
| Assists | 25 | 116 |
Of course, at the age of 33, De Bruyne is now something of a faded force, but even over the last two seasons his output has been very similar to Odegaard's despite playing fewer games.
| Martin Odegaard stats since last season | Kevin De Bruyne stats since last season | |
| Games | 44 | 28 |
| Goals | 9 | 6 |
| Assists | 12 | 12 |
Odegaard is a world-class player, there's no doubt about that, but De Bruyne is one of the all-time greats and while he may be winding down a little bit, he's still one of the best in the world.
Manchester City may be off the pace at the moment, but they still have a lot of quality in their squad and if De Bruyne can hit top gear, they may still work their way back into the title race.
