Martin Odegaard has been chosen Arsenal captain, as Mikel Arteta tries to usher in a new era at the Emirates after removing the armband from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last season.
Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard has been named the club’s new captain.
Last season, Alexandre Lacazette was appointed captain on an interim basis after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was demoted.
However, after leading the club out on a few occasions last season, Odegaard will now be the permanent captain of Arsenal ahead of the upcoming season.
The 23-year-old joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in January 2021 before joining permanently last summer.
Odegaard quickly established himself as an important member of the squad due to his creative qualities and leadership abilities.
He scored seven goals and assisted four more in 36 Premier League games for Arsenal, who finished fourth behind north London rivals Tottenham.
Odegaard is also Norway’s captain, having made his international debut at the age of 15.
Manager Mikel Arteta recently praised Martin’s leadership skills, saying, ‘Martin has a lot of attributes that we want as a captain… one of them is that he thinks about the team before himself.’
‘He had a period where he wasn’t playing, he was the first in training, the last to leave, asking the correct questions – why he wasn’t playing, what he needed to do – he was always listening, he was always assisting his teammates.’
His attitude was really fantastic.’
Arsenal’s leadership has been a source of contention in recent years, with Aubameyang’s removal from the position in December following a spat with Arteta.
Prior to that, Granit Xhaka was deprived of the captaincy following an altercation with supporters.