'He's bright': Paul Merson says 'small' Arsenal player could actually play in the NFL
Today at 04:45 AM
Football fans may have had something of a shock this week as Paul Merson appeared on Sky Sports' coverage of the NFL on Thanksgiving.
The Arsenal legend is known as a pundit for the Premier League, but he swapped the beautiful game for the gridiron in midweek.
Indeed, the former midfielder stepped out of his comfort zone to broadcast as an NFL pundit, but Merson predicted Liverpool vs Man City at the weekend despite his busy schedule this week.
Speaking to Sky Sports after his NFL punditry debut, Merson has been discussing which Premier League players he believes could make it in American Football.
Merson shared an interesting verdict on this particular hypothetical.
Merson selected two players from Arsenal who he believes could play in the NFL, while he also made one selection from Fulham.
The three Premier League players who could play in the NFL
Merson picked Adama Traore as a player he believed could make it in the NFL.
Meanwhile, he also stated that Bukayo Saka could play as a wide receiver, while Martin Odegaard's creative abilities and vision could allow him to be a quarter-back.
"Wow, well I'd go for Traore at Fulham. He could play as a defensive lineman or you could have him as a wide receiver.
"I mean he could definitely play in my opinion.
"Saka, Saka as a wide receiver. I know he's small, but he's bright and he makes good runs. And I'm going to go Odegaard as a quarter-back, I'm going to go Odegaard as a quarter-back."
Have any footballers played in the NFL?
Merson's claims do sound rather ridiculous, but there have been a few players who have made the jump from 'soccer' to the NFL.
Clive Allen, famously, tried his hand at playing American Football back in the 1990s after becoming a hero at Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Brandon Aubrey, a current star for the Dallas Cowboys, started his career as a footballer, and he was even on the books at Toronto FC in MLS.
Harry Kane wants to play in the NFL once his football career is done, claiming that he wants to be a kicker in American Football.
Given Kane's incredible ball-striking ability, there's every chance he could make this transition, but we wouldn't fancy the England captain's chances if he was on the defensive line.
As Merson says, that role may be better-suited to someone like Adama Traore whose incredible combination of strength and pace would make him a perfect American Football player.
Traore once had a chance to play in the NFL, but, ultimately, he opted to play in the Premier League instead.
