Arsenal fans still call the Ødegaard signing worth up to 40 million euros from Real Madrid in 2021 “the big steel”. Last season, Arsenal captain Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid coach who effectively closed the door on Ødegaard at the La Liga giants for two rounds as coach, also showed what he was missing. With Ødegaard as captain, Arsenal sent Real Madrid out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals with a 5-1 loss. It has been unfortunate for “our man” the last two seasons, but there should be little doubt that Martin Ødegaard is still one of the very best in the world’s toughest league.
The English are spoiled by Martin Ødegaard delivering every game, so when the Arsenal captain in some games shows his “human side”, then the criticism is loose. Tony Adams puts it all in a historical perspective, ESPN shows with its selection of the Premier League’s best players, that Ødegaard still delivers as one of the ten best players in the world’s toughest league.
During his appearance on “The Sunday Edition with Shaun Custis & Henry Winter”, Mr. Arsenal, Tony Adams, was asked about Martin Ødegaard. “… He’s a Dennis Bergkamp [type of player], he’s an extraordinarily talented player,” the English legend concluded.
At the end of January, ESPN published its assessment of the Premier League’s 50 best players so far in the season, here Martin Ødegaard once again came up high, even with a break after a shoulder injury, knee and muscle injury, and only 1002 minutes in the Premier League arena, spread over 18 games.
Here are ESPN’s criteria for the top 50 list:
“This is not just a list of all the most famous players in the league, we rank players using a combination of actual production – players who actually play Premier League minutes and contribute to Premier League teams – and talent.
“Evaluating individual players is very difficult. While a number of statistics are cited throughout the list, this is much more art than science, and we can be more confident at the top of the list than the bottom.”
That is, where Ødegaard is.
“As for the details of this version of the list, it prioritizes players who have played more minutes. And it only has two players who didn’t at least reach the 900-minute mark. If you’re injured at the moment, you’re not eligible either, so: Tyler Adams, Rúben Dias, Alexander Isak and Josko Gvardiol have all dropped out.”
Now to the list itself.
ESPN’s ranking of the top 50 Premier League players so far in the 2025/26 season. You can find the full analysis and list here, we will settle for the top ten:
10. Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal
9. Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea
8. Moises Caicedo, Chelsea
7. Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle
6. Gabriel, Arsenal
5. Willilam Saliba
4. Bukayo Saka
3. Bruno Fernandes
2. Declan Rice
And best in the Premier League, so far in the season. Here, ESPN places Erling Haaland at the top of the throne.
