Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard spotted in tunnel after West Ham vs Arsenal
After the 2-2 draw between West Ham and the top-ranked Arsenal, Martin Odegaard was spotted in the tunnel signing an Arsenal shirt for Declan Rice.
Despite taking a 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes, Arsenal was unable to secure a win and dropped two points in their pursuit of the Premier League title.
The away team, led by Gabriel Jesus who scored in the seventh minute off a cross from Ben White, threatened to dominate the match before Odegaard swept in three minutes later to score from Gabriel Martinelli’s pass.
Despite Arsenal’s early lead, West Ham managed to make a comeback thanks to a great performance by Declan Rice. Gabriel’s poor tackle resulted in a penalty that Said Benrahma successfully converted to bring West Ham within one goal.
Ten minutes into the second half, Jarrod Bowen scored to level the score at 2-2. Although Arsenal still sits at the top of the Premier League table, dropping points in this match could be detrimental to their pursuit of the title.
On the other hand, the point earned by West Ham could be crucial in securing their position in the top flight for the season.
The exchange between Odegaard and Rice in the tunnel
Following the game, there was a heartwarming moment in the tunnel where the two team captains engaged in a positive exchange.
Martin Odegaard was seen signing an Arsenal shirt for Declan Rice, and what made this interaction even more noteworthy was that the shirt was an Arsenal home shirt despite the team playing in their black away kit during the match.
The exchange between Odegaard and Rice in the tunnel after the match, coupled with the fact that Rice has been the subject of transfer rumors linking him to Arsenal in the upcoming summer transfer window, only served to intensify the speculation about his potential move to the Gunners.
It is possible that Rice was simply adding Odegaard’s shirt to his impressive collection, as he has been known to be an avid collector of football shirts.
Nonetheless, if Arsenal is indeed interested in signing Rice during the summer transfer window, his performance in the match against the Gunners could not have gone unnoticed by Arteta and his team.
Prior to the game, Roy Keane, a pundit on Sky Sports, suggested that Rice should view the match as an opportunity to showcase his skills and make a strong impression.
“He should be,” Keane said. “Obviously he’s been linked with getting a move maybe this summer, we’ve been a little bit critical of his attacking play but we all know Declan Rice is an amazing player and hopefully we’re going to see the best of him today, particularly the defensive side of his game.”
During the commentary of the match, Jamie Carragher hinted that Arsenal’s rumored interest in Rice might be more than just speculation, indicating that there could be some substance to the transfer rumors.
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard spotted in tunnel after West Ham vs Arsenal