Izuchukwu OkosiArsenal 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 2022, as announced on Friday.
Norwegian playmaker and captain, Odegaard, enjoyed a fruitful festive period with the Gunners in the period under review, 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.
For Arteta, the latest feat is the second time he has secured the gong this season and the fourth time in total during his fledgling career in the dugout.
Arteta guided Arsenal to wins over Chelsea and Wolves prior to the World Cup and picked up where he left off in December with noteworthy victories over West Ham and Brighton. The Gunners have a five-point lead at the top of the table heading into Sunday’s north London derby.
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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 Arsenal 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.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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