Arsenal Captain Election Polemic, Odegaard Gets Support From All Squads

Martin Odegaard remains Arsenal captain in the midst of criticism (Instagram/@arsenal).

JAKARTA - Mikel Arteta defended Martin Odegaard's decision to remain captain amid criticism from former Arsenal captain Tony Adams.

The manager confirmed that the players voted for Odegaard in the majority to defend the 2025/2026 season captain's armband.

Adams criticized the decision. He claims Arsenal will not win the league with Odegaard as captain and asks Arteta to appoint Declan Rice as captain.

The Gunners legend had a reason why he had to remove the captain from Odegaard. According to him, if the midfielder is not wearing the captain's armband, he will be more free to play and of course give his best.

"Arteta has an important decision to make. He has to make Declan Rice captain. That's the captain position I want and maybe it will give Odegaard more freedom to play," Adams said at the Telegraph.

Not only that, Adams sees Rice as more suitable to lead Arsenal because he has energy and ambitions, leading by setting an example to take the team to the next level.

"If you want to win a title, you have to be like Jurgen Klopp or Sir Alex Ferguson -- a leader who drives success."

"That should be seen in your captain. I see Rice as that leader. Arteta, take this step. With Odegaard as captain, you won't win the league," Adams said.

Adams further argues that Rice is a player who will play in every game, attract other quality players, and help build a winning team.

However, Arteta said that the squad had the opportunity to overhaul the line-up after the departure of experienced midfielder Jorginho, but still chose to defend Odegaard, who has been captain since 2022.

"My opinion is clear and it's not just my opinion, it's the opinion of the entire staff and especially the players."

"I asked them to vote for captain and I got the results. As far as I know, everyone chooses the same person, namely Martin Odegaard."

"The clearest sign you can see is how they feel about who should be captain, to stay up, improve performance, and win the game we want to win. I think that's clear."

"We can talk about what kind of leadership and type of leader we are, we can be here for hours."

"In the end, the most important thing is how these people feel about who needs to lead them, how do they feel comfortable, who will push them, who will give them support when that happens, and basically, who do you want to represent the club and the team when we play and face opponents?" That's the key," said Arteta.