Former Arsenal skipper Tony Adams recently called for Martin Odegard to strip the club of captain.
Former Arsenal star Anders Limpal supported Tony Adams’s appeal to Martin Odegard to strip the club of captain. Gunners icon Adams claims that if Mikel Arteta x Odegaard as captain earlier this month and dreams of ultimately winning the Premier League, he will need to replace him with Declan Rice.
The Norwegian playmaker was appointed gunner skipper ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, overseeing the period for the third consecutive second place finish, and did not win the big trophy. He has since responded to Adams and discussed how his role as captain is a “shared” position.
Limpar, the winner of the Gunners league title in 1991, claims that Odegaard is a “unbelievable” player. However, Limpar argues that he cannot side with his former captain in the debate over who should lead Arsenal on the pitch.
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“If Tony Adams said Declan Rice should be captain of Arsenal, I’d stand behind it,” Limpal (59) told Boyle Sports. “I certainly can’t say anything about my skipper. He’s one of the best skippers that have been in the game and he’s won so many things.
“What I’m saying is that it’s not important because I’m not sitting here in Stockholm and telling Arsenal to trade Declan Rice, but when Tony Adams says they’re going to trade Declan Rice, I’m standing behind it.
“I think Odegard is incredible. Is he suitable for having the ability? Yes, I think that’s true in my opinion. If Tony wants another skipper, that’s what he says. Anything Tony says, that’s easy for me now.
“I’m standing behind him because I know how he’s going as a captain. He was Captain Marvel, so he said a few things about Martin. I don’t know if that’s fair or not. Only Arteta knows how he’s in the dressing room.
Diplomatically, Limpar argued that former West Ham skipper Rice might not even have the ambition to wear an armband, saying, “All I’m saying is what I expect from the captain, otherwise he’s not the captain of Arsenal.
“What we know is that Martin is the captain. He has to be hell of dressing rooms, especially to claim that he is a foreign player, to make sure he is a captain. That’s incredible.
“He’s always good for Arsenal. He dictates the speed of the game. I like him. He’s one of my favorites and at this point he’s the captain so please leave it there.”
Speaking about the Indian Sports Podcast, Adams, who captained Arsenal in four league titles and three FA Cups, insisted that Arteta must set up a captain who can ultimately win Arsenal as the Premier League champion.
“He’s really making a big call this year, and for me, he’s not doing that,” Adams said of Arteta. “The call is to captain Declan Rice. I think Declan is my kind of captain. I might release Odegard to play a little more freedom.
“To win a league title, you have to be (Jurgen) Klopp. You have to be (Alex IR) Ferguson. You have to lead by example. You have to be a winner.
“And I see Declan Rice as the captain, and I tell Arteta.
“There are people who play every game throughout the season. It encourages people to lay the foundation for the team that came and won the title. Declan Rice can do that, Odegard can’t.”
It was a solid start to the season for Arsenal, who won 1-0 at Manchester United and hit Leeds 5-0 at home, but Odegard had to withdraw in the first half of the game due to a shoulder injury. Buka Yosaka took over as captain after his teammates left, but the English winger was also injured, and Gabriel wore it for the rest of the match.
However, Odegard could return on Sunday, and the trip to Anfield will host the Champions as Liverpool’s host Arsenal ahead of the international break.
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