What Martin Odegaard was seen doing yesterday while David Raya was being booed by the Arsenal crowd.

When fans were booing David Raya yesterday at the Emirates, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard quickly intervened.

Raya had a tense beginning and may have been fortunate not to allow Arsenal to score right away.

It seemed that an errant pass in France during midweek was still firmly on his mind come the weekend.

Raya was receiving a lot of the ball early on against Manchester City and looked nervous and unsure for the whole first half.

Moreover, given Arsenal seemed set on their game plan – they wouldn’t merely bypass Raya at the back, fans were starting to become audibly frustrated.

And that’s when Odegaard stepped in.

Viaplay pundits actually spotted Odegaard gesturing downwards with his arms towards the Arsenal fans, asking them to support Raya instead.

Odegaard may have hoped to have had more of an influence on the game himself, but was part of a strong defensive unit.

And Raya will no doubt be very grateful that he was able to ride out a tricky period to keep a clean sheet.

Odegaard thought Arsenal fans needed to encourage Raya

Of course, Raya is in a very difficult period of his career right now.

Although he’ll be delighted to receive the number one spot from Mikel Arteta, he does have a ton of pressure on his back.

He’ll be aware that Aaron Ramsdale was a fan favourite, and it seemed that a lot of these emotions were at play yesterday.

But with a clean sheet secured, and Odegaard on his side, Raya will surely be a better player after he overcomes this period.

Moreover, a couple of errant passes shouldn’t be hyperbolised – Raya has been brilliant since he’s come in.

And Raya is only human, he can’t be flawless immediately.

But Arteta clearly trusts his new goalkeeper, and Arsenal fans will probably share that faith in time.

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Boost for Arsenal, Chelsea as Napoli line up €40m move for Brighton star to replace Osimhen

Napoli are reportedly interested in signing Brighton and Hove Albion forward Julio Enciso as a replacement for Victor Osimhen.

The Napoli goal machine has been heavily linked with Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea recently, who are both looking to bring in a striker in January.

Osimhen is valued at approximately £120m, though, so it would take a huge bid to lure him away from the Italian side, who think of him as a ‘club treasure.’

Real Madrid and Saudi League clubs are also interested in the Nigeria international, who scored 26 goals in 32 league appearances last season as he fired Napoli to their first Serie A title since 1990.

Osimhen has started this season in a similar fashion, too, netting six in eight games so far.

Nevertheless, if Napoli’s interest in Enciso is true, it suggests that they are planning for life without Osimhen, amid the interest in his signature, which will come as a boost to all of his suitors.

Enciso has ‘captured the attention’ of Napoli

According to reports from Spain, as cited by Sport Witness, Napoli are interested in signing Enciso should Osimhen leave the club.

The report claims that the Paraguay international has ‘captured the attention’ of the Italian giants with his recent performances for Brighton, stating that his ‘progression has been remarkable.’

Given Enciso would allegedly ‘fit perfectly into Napoli’s plan’ it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them make a move for him in January.

Brighton signed Enciso for around £10m in June 2022. Since, the 19-year-old, who can play as a striker, second striker or winger, has made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and making five assists in the process. He is only expected to improve as he gains experience, too.

The report claims that Enciso has an estimated value of €40m (approx. £34.5m), which makes him an ‘achievable target’ for Napoli.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Napoli make a bid for Enciso when the transfer window re-opens in January. But as mentioned, that could depend on whether they lose Osimhen or not.