Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended Martin Odegaard’s captaincy after club legend Tony Adams suggested Declan Rice should take over the armband.
Adams, a former Gunners skipper and one of the most iconic figures in the club’s history, believes Rice’s performances last season made him a natural leader for the side. The England midfielder played a key role in Arsenal’s Champions League run, scoring two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid in the knockout stages to help eliminate the 14-time winners.
Speaking to the Irish Independent ahead of the new season, Adams argued that Odegaard might be carrying the burden of captaincy, affecting his game in the process.
“He’s got a really big call to make this year and for me he hasn’t done it — the call is to make Declan Rice the captain,” Adams said. “Declan is my kind of captain and what it might do is free up Martin Odegaard to play with more freedom. Every now and again as a manager, you have to put someone in who reflects you and the football club, and who you think can take you to the next level.”
However, Arteta was quick to reaffirm his faith in Odegaard, revealing that the captaincy decision had been made collectively, with overwhelming backing from the squad.
“It’s not just my opinion,” Arteta said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League opener against Manchester United. “It’s all the staff and especially the players. I asked them to vote on the captain and I got the results yesterday — by a mile, by 100 miles, everybody chose the same person, which is Martin Odegaard. That’s the clearest sign you can have.”
Arteta added: “It’s how they feel about who should be their captain, to defend, improve, and win the matches that we want to win. There’s no question about that.”
“ONE DAY THE GOLD WILL BE THERE”
After three consecutive seasons of finishing runners-up, Arteta remains confident that Arsenal’s moment will come. The club has not lifted the Premier League trophy since 2003–04, but the Spaniard insists belief remains strong.
“You keep digging, digging, digging,” he said. “For three seasons we’ve had more points than any other team in this league, which is incredible. Now we have to do it in a season to get one more point than the rest — that’s our objective.”
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