Exclusive: Declan Rice praises 'out of this world' Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard - 'One of the best I've ever seen'

Declan Rice has praised Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard's leadership abilities and described the Norwegian as "one of the best I've ever seen."

England midfielder Rice knows a thing or two about captaincy, having worn the armband at his former club West Ham.

And in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, he wasted no time in complimenting Odegaard for the way he has led Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders this season.

“He’s really, really good," Rice said. "The main thing as a captain is to have the respect of everyone and he has that. When he says something, everyone listens.

“He’s got this calm presence about him, which I feel is really good and key in a leader. He’s not one to be shouting his head off but if something needs to be said, he’ll say it. He’ll say it in a calm way.

“The other good thing is there’s other players around, experienced players like Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Big Gabi (Gabriel Magalhães), who’ve played in big matches and know what it’s about and help out as well. I feel we’ve got a really good group who are leaders.”

After initially arriving on loan from Real Madrid in 2021, Odegaard has become a key member of Arteta's resurgent Arsenal side.

Since taking the captaincy in 2022, a decision that was questioned by some at the time, he's led by example and justified his manager's faith.

Still, Rice knows he doesn't fit the traditional style of some of the club's famed captains.

"If you look at Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, like hard-hitting centre-half/midfielders. Martin is just an out-of-this-world No. 10, he’s so special," Rice said.

"But he knows what it’s like to play for this club. He was here in the tough times and now he’s come through that and he’s arguably one of the best players in the Premier League this season and the last few years.

"He just makes something happen out of nothing. He's probably the best trainer, he's just so elegant. Just everything down to the way he lives his life, how he treats this game as a profession, he's one of the best I've ever seen."

Rice is finishing his maiden season at Arsenal after establishing himself as one of England's best midfielders at West Ham, where he had been since the age of 14.

Arteta came calling after a £100 million move, the 25-year-old is challenging for the trophies and accolades he always dreamed of in a "whirlwind season."

“I said that I wanted to play in the biggest games and compete for the biggest trophies," Rice said with a grin widening across his face.

"Now that I’ve been involved in a title race, I can see now why it gets hyped up to and lived up to so much just because of the pressure that comes with it, the moments that get delivered.

"It’s been everything I’ve wanted it to be. I’ve really, really enjoyed it, tried to take one game at a time and just express ourselves as a team.

“We’re doing really well, just obviously three games to go that we need to focus on.”

Although West Ham finished 14th in Rice's final season, the club finished 7th and 6th in the two years prior, serving as a mere appetiser of what he's experiencing now.

Now, he's tasting the true rivalry and combative nature of a title race.

"As you keep winning more games, more pressure comes, you start pushing up the table and then you're at the top, there's a lot more noise," he continued.

"You start to play with the big teams that are around you and obviously the pressure of those games is really big.

"Just playing against the big teams in these big moments. I've enjoyed every minute of it."

While Rice has helped transform the Gunners, adding solidity and an extra bite in their midfield, Rice reflected on how his experience with Arteta has evolved his game in a single season.

"Positionally is probably the biggest thing that I've taken on this year. When you have the ball so much, just in terms of picking up different positions on the pitch and where to go in relation to your team-mates.

"The other big thing that stands out is it's my highest goal-scoring season, and assists. I've been really happy with that, every time I get an assist it feels really good. I want to try and get to 10 assists at least."

With three games left in the Premier League, Rice and Arsenal sit top of the table, a single point ahead of Manchester City who have a game in hand.

The anticipation of ending his first season with a Premier League title is almost too enticing.

"It's exciting to talk about. They (Arsenal) deserve it so much," he said.

"You look at the history of the club, the class of the club, it's unbelievable. Arsenal belong back with the major trophies."

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

Arsenal v Bournemouth will be live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage from 11:00 UK time on Saturday, May 4 ahead of kick-off at 12:30.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder tool.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.