Arteta confirms his squad had vote to elect Arsenal captain for 2025-26 with Martin Odegaard winning by "a mile" ahead of tough start at Manchester United
Three Takeaways from Arsenal boss Arteta's Friday presser at London Colney
Mikel Arteta confirms his squad had vote to elect Arsenal captain for 2025-26 with Martin Odegaard winning by "a mile" ahead of tough start at Manchester United
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1 - Good to be back
I always think the new football season is a phoney war until the mighty Arsenal finally get involved.
So, even after more than 10 years of covering Arsenal manager’s pre-match press conferences, it was with great anticipation that I made the short drive down the A1, (and a couple of other roads I’m won’t share on here) amid deepest Hertfordshire, to arrive at the Arsenal Training Ground - or Sobha Realty Training Centre, to give the hallowed place its full sponsor’s name - to report on Mikel Arteta’s first presser of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
(As an aside, when the training ground was first renamed, I briefly thought it was actually called Sober Reality, which certainly jarred on the rare occasions I channelled my best representation of a gnarled 1970s journo, and turned up with a raging hangover…)
Anyway. It still makes me smile when I turn down a particular county lane in my car towards the Arsenal HQ entrance - which is normally cluttered with fans hoping for a glimpse of their heroes, especially during the summer holidays - only to note the look of utter disappointment that falls upon fans’ previously excited faces the moment they realise I am a complete and utter nobody, and not an Arsenal footballer. Makes me chortle every time…sorry…
Inside, once I traded a joke or two with the lads on the door security as I always try and do, it was good to catch-up briefly with more friendly faces, and say hello to colleagues in my industry that I hugely respect. On a hot high summer’s afternoon, there was certainly an air of the first day of term, even among hard-bitten journos.
That was before a jaunty, tanned, and relaxed looking Arteta bounded into Colney’s shiny press room, wearing a natty off-grey training top, and sat behind his biggest bright desk.
A far cry from when I used to listen to Arsene Wenger hold court from behind what could only be described as a second hand school desk, with no branding or markings on whatsoever.
Arteta is generally a personable presence, and, at the start of a season, he always makes a point of nodding to various journalists he recognises, including myself, which was nice to note, before we were away. (See No2 and No3…)
2 - Arteta confirms Odegaard squad vote
Arteta will always give you an answer, with as much respect and dignity as such a class act can muster, even on difficult days.
But, similar to many managers these days, he will talk without revealing too much at times.
Which is fine, that’s the nature of the game.
So, when he does randomly drop something into a not uninteresting press conference, your ears tend to prick up, and you say to yourself, or in a whisper to a colleague, “did he just say that?”
And so it was, that for me, and dare I say it a few others in the room, the fact Arteta revealed that his squad had a vote to elect their club captain for 2025-26 was far and away the headline quote and main story.
A story that will reverberate around the world over the next 24-48 hours, and something that will be referred to across the season, certainly when the Gunners have a bad result or two, and the (online) clamour calls for a new captain. (Clue: Lads! It’s not going to happen. Martin is our rightful leader.)
Speaking at the club's training HQ London Colney on Friday afternoon, ahead of Arsenal's Premier League blockbuster opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, Arteta disclosed the players' poll.
When informed that former Arsenal captain Tony Adams had recently voiced his opinion that Declan Rice should be the on-pitch leader, Arteta made it known about the team choice.
Arteta said: "Well, my opinion is clear. 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."
It was also good to note that Arteta believes Viktor Gyokeres will have a ‘tremendous impact'
Invited to talk about the possible duel between former Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko and new Arsenal striker Gyokeres at Old Trafford, Arteta wisely sidestepped the headline, dialling it down, saying: “I can just talk about Viktor and how happy we are to have him.
"He is going to have a tremendous impact in the team and his adaptation has been really, really good and we are happy to have him.
"Many strikers have come from different leagues and being successful and it's on us to create the right conditions for him [Gyokeres] to be successful."
3 - Poetry, metaphor and balloons
In more than a decade of covering Arsenal manager’s pre-match press conference at Colney, it’s fair to say I’ve seen it all.
From watching, absolutely rapt, to Arsene Wenger speak intelligently and articulately on everything from political economics, to African Presidents, on addictions to architecture, and so much more in between. And that’s without mentioning seeing Unai Emery share his childhood family memories of fresh orange juice to being asked if he dyed his hair.
But today was a first. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a sports reporter share “poetry, metaphor and balloons…” - even at the start of the first Premier League press conference of the season.
To be fair, if my company had paid billions of pounds to sponsor the richest league in the world, I would most probably have started a bit left field too.
Although, maybe I wouldn’t have gone with the ‘poem’ that was read out before the first question.
“Arsenal are red
“United are too
“It’s Sky’s biggest season ever and we’re excited - are you?”
Ten out of ten for chutzpah though, and to be fair, the journalist in question is hugely experienced, and like myself, has experience of reporting on everything from Old Bailey murder trials to High Court fraud cases, which, sadly these days, not every journalist can.
So, in my book, if you can do that, then you’re entitled to be slightly irreverent at the start of a long season.
Anyway, Arteta to his credit was remarkably unfazed at this sight of a red balloon bobbing around in front of his desk, simply replying to the ‘poem’: “I'm super excited, I can't wait.
“It's been a really productive pre-season.
“We’ve made such an evolution in the squad as well and we're ready to go.”
…..
Strap in for the ride over the next ten months. I can’t wait.
See you at Old Trafford.
Layth’s Take is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.