Martin Odegaard will continue to captain Arsenal this season, but it has been suggested that other members of the Gunners’ leadership group could eventually take over the role from the Norwegian.
Former Norway star John Arne Riise has come out in defense of his compatriot, amid calls for manager Martin Odegaard to hand back Arsenal’s captain’s armband to Declan Rice. Rice’s on-field leadership has led to suggestions that he could reprise the role he played in his final season at West Ham before his £105m move to London.
Arsenal’s players voted overwhelmingly to keep Odegaard as captain, but the midfielder still wears the armband of his national team and club. Riese’s latest comments come after England defender Joleon Lescott suggested that the “all-rounder” Rice, who is already included in the coaching group, could succeed the current captain.
“I think he could even be captain next season, because I don’t think there’s any guarantee that Odegaard will start when[Ebelesi]Eze is performing at the level he is,” Lescott told Sky Bet’s In the Mixer.
However, coach Riise took a different stance, telling footitalia.com: “I would not recommend that change because I know for a fact that he is loved by the team as captain. I think Declan Rice is a perfect example of what a captain should be and the type of player he is on the pitch. But not every player with leadership qualities needs an armband.”
“Every team needs more than one leader, more than one player who can be captain. Martin Odegaard is a great captain, but I’m sure he’s talking to Declan Rice and the rest of the team about what we can contribute.”
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At the start of the season, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta defended his decision to keep Odegaard as captain. The Gunners moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time in 15 games, but Saturday’s loss to Aston Villa cut their lead to two points.
“My opinion is clear. And it’s not just my opinion. It’s the opinion of the whole staff, especially the players,” Arteta said before the first game of the season. “I asked them to vote for captain and I received the results yesterday.
“Whether you’re a mile away or 100 miles away, everyone was picking the same guy, Martin Odegaard. That’s the clearest sign. There’s no question about it because it’s how they feel about who has to be the captain in order for us to defend and grow and win the games we want to win.”
“Especially because we make a lot of changes (in personnel) and change the coaching group, a lot of the players that were there are gone now, so every year (the vote) is done. So we have to rebuild it. Because it gives us so much information, how they feel about themselves, how they view (the captain) as a leader. It was really interesting to analyze all the data and gather the information.”
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