Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has thrown his full support behind Martin Odegaard as club captain, brushing aside calls from club legend Tony Adams to hand the armband to Declan Rice ahead of the new Premier League season.
Adams, who captained Arsenal to four league titles in a glittering 19-year career, sparked debate earlier this week after claiming the Gunners “won’t win the league” with Odegaard as skipper. Speaking on the Indo Sport Football podcast, he urged Arteta to make what he described as a “really big call” and appoint Rice instead.
“The call is to make Declan Rice the captain. Declan is my kind of captain, he’ll play every game, encourage people, and lay the foundations for a title-winning team,” Adams said. “You’re not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain, I’m sorry. Declan can do that, Odegaard can’t. Come on, Arteta, make him captain.”
Adams, a vocal proponent of traditional, on-pitch leadership, argued that Rice embodies the qualities of past title-winning captains, while suggesting the Norwegian might perform better without the responsibility.
🚨Mikel Arteta confirms that Arsenal voted for their captain again and Martin Odegaard won “by a mile”. pic.twitter.com/1oYSv5EXNn
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) August 15, 2025
Odegaard, 26, was appointed captain in 2022 and has since overseen a resurgence at the Emirates, posting the highest win rate of any Arsenal skipper since 1989. In 99 games as captain across all competitions, he has led the side to 66 victories, while contributing 41 goals and 38 assists. Despite this, silverware has remained elusive, with Arsenal finishing runners-up in each of the past three seasons.
Rice, also 26, arrived from West Ham United for £105 million in 2023 and has quickly become a key figure, praised for his maturity, consistency, and vocal presence. The England international previously captained West Ham to Europa Conference League glory, further bolstering his leadership credentials.
Arteta, however, made it clear that Odegaard retains the overwhelming backing of the dressing room. Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s season opener against Manchester United, the Spaniard revealed that the squad had voted decisively to keep Odegaard as captain.
“Well, my opinion is clear,” Arteta said. “It’s not just my opinion, it’s all the staff and especially the players. I asked them to vote the captain and I got the result yesterday. And by a mile, by a big, big 100 marks, everybody’s choosing the same person, which is Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have, how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win. So, I mean, there’s no question about that.”
On the players voting for who our captain is: “Especially because we change a lot and we change all the leadership groups because a lot of the players that were there, they are gone. So, we need to re-establish that, and it gives you so much information, how they feel about themselves and who they see as a leader and how they see the people that can join that leadership group. So, it was really interesting to analyse all the data and to gather information. “
On the captaincy qualities Odegaard has: “We all see it different and if we’re going to talk about leadership and the kind of leaders, we can be here for hours. So at the end, what matters the most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who’s going to push them, who’s going to give them support when it’s happening. Basically, who do you want to represent the club and the team when we go out there and face any opposition? That’s the key.”
Arsenal begin their 2025/26 campaign against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, aiming to end a 21-year wait for the Premier League title.