Martin Odegaard was seen signing an Arsenal shirt for rumoured transfer target Declan Rice after the Gunners’ draw at West Ham.
Arsenal suffered a dent in their title bid as they could only manage a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium despite going 2-0 up inside the first ten minutes.
The result is the second time in as many matches Arsenal have surrendered a two-goal lead, with Odegaard lamenting their ‘stupid’ play.
He had some time for Hammers and England midfielder Rice with BeIN Sports capturing footage of the Norwegian obliging his request to sign a replica Arsenal top for him.
It’s not clear why Rice made the request to Odegaard but it’s got some Gooners excited amid reports the north London side are interested in signing the 24-year-old.
One fan wrote: “Odegaard signing a shirt for Declan Rice [eyes emoji]. Positive content you may like to see on your timeline.”
Another wrote: “He’s a proper fan now. And he’s the type of individual this squad needs, never-say-die attitude, willing to pull his teammates up all game, every game.”
This fan said: “Our captain has a fan.”
This isn’t the first time Rice has been caught conversing with an Arsenal player past or present since the reports emerged.
After England’s win over Ukraine last month, Oleksandr Zinchenko was seen speaking to Rice on the pitch, while Arsenal fans hailed Bukayo Saka and former Gunner Ian Wright hailed for making the former Chelsea academy player laugh during some downtime ahead of England’s most recent Euro 2024 qualifier.
talkSPORT understands Arsenal and Chelsea look set to do battle with their London rivals for Rice’s signature this summer.
Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher suggested the suggestion Rice could join Arsenal in the summer are more than just a mere rumour.
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Rice has been with West Ham since he was 14 years old after being let go by Chelsea as a youngster.
He rose through the ranks at West Ham, making his senior debut for the club in May 2017 aged 18 and is now a key player for them. Rice also boasts 41 caps for England.
