Arsenal captain verdict given as Martin Odegaard backed after Declan Rice rant

8 hours ago 2

A debate has been raging over Arsenal's permanent captain and football.london writers have their say on who should have the armband

With all the chat that's going around, you'd think Arsenal are in the middle of a crisis.

During the dramatic win over Wolves last weekend, Declan Rice was spotted venting his fury at his team-mates. The midfield maestro appeared to say 'switch on' to Jurrien Timber and Co during the late celebrations, with Gabriel Jesus forced to intervene.

Bukayo Saka, who has captained Arsenal this season during Martin Odegaard's injury absence, looked confused before carrying on with his celebrations.

Despite Arsenal sitting two points clear at the top of the Premier League, the incident has kicked off a debate over who should be the Gunners' permanent captain.

Should Odegaard retain the armband? Does Rice have the leadership qualities to lead the club to glory? Or can Saka step up to the occasion? Football.London writers have their say...

Tom Canton

The idea of removing the captaincy from Martin Odegaard or in the worst-case scenario selling him is, frankly, nuts. The captain of the team that sits top of both the Premier League and Champions League, he has been the focal point leader throughout transformation from top-four pretender to title challenger…

This season, Odegaard has played less than a third of the available minutes and in his place, the Arsenal leadership team has led from the field when he’s not there. Following the game against Wolves it's understood both he and Declan Rice led the self-reflecting criticism behind the scenes despite claiming a late win, as captain and leaders should.

Odegaard currently ranks in the top 2 per cent of players for shot-creating actions per 90 over the last year in the top five leagues for midfielders, top 3 per cent for assists per 90, top 3 per cent for progressive passes per 90, top 2 per cent for progressive carries. He’s a driving force still for Arsenal and a massive influence.

If we're looking for problems in the team currently topping the charts for points in all competitions, it might be worth looking elsewhere than an individual putting up these types of numbers.

Luke Thrower

I personally don't think Martin Odegaard should be replaced as Arsenal captain, mainly as I don't think the captaincy itself adds any difference on the pitch.

Mikel Arteta has plenty of leaders in his team who act like captains, but don't need the armband to exude that leadership quality.

Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Magalhaes are a few different types of leaders who show their quality in different ways. Saka sets the standard with his quality of performance, while Gabriel is a mentality monster in the way he shows his ability on the pitch.

Rice is a mixture of both in setting standards and demanding more from those around him. I'm not sure shifting the title of captain does much in all, as it's a shared responsibility within the team.

Questions may come over Odegaard's place in the team, and how much he will play given the quality around him, but I'm not sure moving the captaincy will change much for Arsenal at all.

Amie Wilson

The captain debate at Arsenal doesn’t really make sense to me, and it feels a bit like Odegaard is taking the blame when there is nothing really wrong.

A lot have pointed towards Declan Rice’s actions and leadership skills to argue that the midfielder should take the armband from Odegaard, but it feels like making a change just for the sake of it.

Just because the Norway international doesn’t show his leadership skills in the same way as Rice, it doesn’t mean that they are not there.

Upon his appointment, Arteta revealed that it was a unanimous decision from the squad. It doesn’t feel like that stance would have changed since the vote was made.

Instead of turning it into a negative and questioning if there should be a change, it should be seen as a positive that Arsenal have several leaders on the pitch. Rice, along with Saka and Merino, who are part of the leadership team, plays a significant role.

Having the armband on won’t impact that.

Aaron Morris

If there’s anyone within Arsenal’s current side who has a chance of taking the captain’s armband from Martin Odegaard, then it surely has to be Declan Rice. The Englishman has proven time and time again that he has all of the necessary qualities to thrive on the pitch as a leader.

The central-midfielder is incredibly vocal, carries himself well both in and out of matches, and is the glue that holds together Mikel Arteta’s engine room at present. The 26-year-old also has a track record for guiding teams to success - just one of three all-time West Ham skippers to lead the Hammers to a major title, alongside Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds. It’s a real no-brainer, for me, even with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel and Mikel Merino also potentially in contention for the role.

Kasra Moradi

Officially stripping Martin Odegaard of his captaincy midway through the season would be as rash and out of character for Mikel Arteta as it can possibly get. The Gunners boss has always shown faith in the Norwegian and making a sudden U-turn now would have nothing but negative consequences on squad morale and Odegaard’s performances.

When Odegaard’s move was made permanent in August 2021, he reflected all of the values Arteta had set out for the ailing football club. He has since been the standard bearer for those non-negotiables - commitment, unity, tactical intelligence and relentless pressing. But that doesn’t mean he’s undroppable.

While Arteta has looked to manage Odegaard’s minutes since his return from injury, he has been guilty of starting the playmaker even when his form has suffered over the past two seasons. Going forwards, having the courage to drop his favourite pupil from the starting line-up on occasion will benefit Odegaard, alleviating some of the pressure on him on the pitch and externally.

Arsenal have no shortage of options in the right attacking-midfield position, with Ethan Nwaneri and Eberechi Eze being very capable of injecting urgency in an at-times stale attack. A willingness to not play Odegaard when his performances are less easy on the eye will naturally pave the way for others in the leadership group, namely Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, to wear the armband as they have done so capably already, without causing an unnecessary stir.