At the end of this season, captain Martin Odegaard plays quite faint. He has not impressed in the Premier League since the beginning of the year and was considered almost "invisible" in the second leg of the Champions League quarter -final against PSG. In the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, Odegaard is also considered to make a mistake in the end of the match.
Some experts have seen the Arsenal captain as a replacement. Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson frankly suggested: Arteta should take back the captaincy from Odegaard and give it to Declan Rice. Sharing the same view, Alan Shearer and Frank Leboeuf also expressed disappointment with the 26-year-old midfielders recent performance.
However, Declan Rice - the expected replacement - publicly defended his teammate. Everyone has lost form at times, so have I. But Martin is our leader, the one who receives absolute respect in the dressing room.
Despite his recent controversial form, Martin Odegaard will continue to captain Arsenal in the coming season. The Athletic said the coaching staff were "quite certain" that there would be no changes to the team's leadership position.
Martin Odegaard was elected captain of Arsenal from 2022 and is also currently the captain of the Norwegian team. Although the team has not won a title for the past six years, coach Arteta still has faith in his leadership qualities and influence within the squad.
