Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and manager Mikel Arteta have completed a double swoop of the Premier League Player and Manager of the Month awards for November/December.
Norwegian playmaker Odegaard enjoyed a fruitful festive period with the Gunners, scoring three goals and providing three assists in four games during the World Cup-disrupted period.
The 24-year-old did not contribute to Arsenal's 1-0 win over Chelsea on November 6, but he came up with a brace when the Gunners beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 six days later.
Odegaard then proceeded to set up two goals in Arsenal's 3-1 success over West Ham United on Boxing Day before scoring and assisting in another man of the match performance against Brighton & Hove Albion, which the Gunners won 4-2.
The former Real Madrid starlet has been recognised for his efforts with a first-ever Player of the Month prize, beating Casemiro, Marcus Rashford, Ben Mee, Joao Palhinha, Kieran Trippier, Erling Braut Haaland and teammate Bukayo Saka to the award.
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Odegaard becomes the first Arsenal player since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in September 2019 to win the award, but Arteta is no stranger to Manager of the Month successes.
Having steered the North London club to four successive wins between November and December, Arteta now has a fourth Manager of the Month award to go in his collection.
During that time, Arsenal scored 10 goals while conceding just three themselves, and they entered the New Year seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
That advantage has since been cut down to five points, but Arteta has nonetheless been bestowed with the accolade, having also been named Manager of the Month in September 2021, March 2022 and August 2022.
Eddie Howe, Thomas Frank and Jurgen Klopp were also nominated for the November/December award, and Arsenal will endeavour to maintain their unassailable lead at the top of the table when they face bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday's North London derby.
Ben Knapton
