Arsenal fans have to be feeling pretty down right now.
After coming close to silverware in 22/23 and closer still last year, they have once again seen their team fail to win the Premier League and, fresher than that, fail to win their first Champions League semi-final in over a decade.
Mikel Arteta must be feeling like he's been cursed right about now, and while that's probably taking things too far, there is one disappointing trend that has followed the club for almost twenty years now.
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Since William Gallas received the armband in 2007, more often than not, the Gunners' captains have either seen their form fade, suffered injury after injury, or most dramatically of all, simply fallen out with the fans - and the current skipper is no different.
Arsenal's cursed armband
While we could go through every captain the club have had in the last twenty or so years, there are two more recent players who perhaps demonstrate what we are talking about better than any others: Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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Despite being a known firebrand and someone capable of doing ridiculous things on a football pitch, the former was elected skipper by his teammates in September 2019 under manager Unai Emery.
Now, in his defence, it wasn't a particularly nice time for the club; the team had just missed out on the top four, had been humiliated in the Europa League Final by Chelsea, and started the new campaign poorly, so it felt like something was going to give at some point, and it did.
It was a home game against Crystal Palace in November of the same year, and with the score level at 2-2, the Swiss international was taken off in the 61st minute, but instead of being clapped off, he was jeered, which saw him respond in kind by throwing the shirt and armband to the floor.
It looked like his Arsenal career was over, but somehow, Arteta convinced him to stay, and he became a firm fan favourite again, no longer with the weight of the captaincy on his shoulders.
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Unfortunately, things didn't end so well for Aubameyang, as within a year of taking the role from the Swiss midfielder, he saw his previously incredible goalscoring ability all but disappear.
Moreover, he wasn't just making the wrong choices on the pitch either, as he was increasingly pushing the limits off of it, with the manager famously leaving him out of the North London Derby in March 2021.
The situation became so negative that the club were forced to let him leave for free in January 2022, which would have been inconceivable when he first received the armband.
The bad news is that the curse once again seems alive and well.
Arsenal's curse continues
Indeed, while we all hoped it wasn't the case, it's become increasingly difficult to deny the sad reality that, as things stand, Martin Odegaard appears to be the next victim of Arsenal's captaincy curse.
Arsenal captains since 2007 (timeless) (1)
The Norwegian maestro was first handed the massive responsibility in the summer of 2022, at just 23 years old, and for a good couple of years, it looked as if he was going to be the first skipper in a generation to lead the club to glory.
However, he picked up the first significant injury of his Gunners career early on this season, and while everyone expected him to take a while to get back to his best upon his return, it's been six months now, and he looks a shadow of the man who won successive Player of the Year awards.
Odegaard's recent seasons
Season
Appearances
Minutes
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
Minutes per Goal Involvement
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Moreover, the £30m signing's drop in output, while undeniable, is only part of the problem.
For example, instead of picking up the ball from deep and getting it forward with a brilliant pass or mercurial piece of skill, every action now looks laboured, as if he's running with weights in his boots.
Moreover, his ability to hold onto the ball in dangerous areas has seemingly fallen off a cliff, with every fan now all too familiar with the picture of him receiving the ball on the edge of the box and then simply losing it, either through a misjudged pass or poor control.
The consistently lacklustre performances are starting to turn fans as well, with content creator Rimedi arguing he's "not at the level" to lead this team and the Athletic's Aaron Catterson-Reid exclaiming that he was "anonymous" during the second half of their game in Paris a few days ago.
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Ultimately, next season will let us know whether Odegaard really is just the next victim of the club's wretched curse or just out of form - although it's not looking good.
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