Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has come to the public defence of club captain Martin Ødegaard ahead of the season opener against Manchester United, amid public discourse over his status as leader.
Club legend and former captain Tony Adams criticised Arteta for keeping Ødegaard in the role during an Irish Independent Sport event this week. Arteta, in his pre-match press conference, publicly backed the Norwegian going as far to say the club held a vote this summer.
“I asked them to vote [for] the captain, and I got the results yesterday, and by a mile—by a hundred miles—everybody chose the same person, which is Martin Ødegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have,” Arteta said. According to the manager, players and staff voted.
Adams wanted Declan Rice to be named captain, believing he is the standard-setter at the club.
“He’s got a really big call to make this year, and for me he hasn’t done. And the call is, to make Declan Rice the captain. I think Declan is my kind of captain, and what it might do, it might free Ødegaard up to play with more freedom,” Adams said.
“Terry Venables did it [with England]. He took David Platt out and put me as captain. Glenn Hoddle took me out and put Alan Shearer...which was a silly decision. But, every now and again, as a manager, you have to put someone that reflects you, reflects the football club that you think can actually take you to the next level.”
On the question if Rice reflects Arteta, Adams clarified that he thinks Rice is a better reflection of what Arsenal aim to achieve this season.
Ødegaard has been captain since July 2022 wearing the armband in three consecutive runners-up finishes. Despite coming up short in three consecutive seasons, Ødegaard represents a period of stability in an Arsenal role heavily criticised post-Patrick Vieira.
In recent history, Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wore the armband and faced pressure from the fan base, serving as a bit of a cursed chalice. Adams’s comments aren’t out of the blue either, as fans have discussed having Rice or Gabriel Magalhães as captain. Still, according to Arteta, everyone is happy to see their creative midfielder in the role.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Issues Strong Statement After Club Legend’s Arsenal Captain Comments.
