Martin Odegaard leadership skills have been praised by Arsenal coach Mikkel Arteta. Fueling speculation that he may be selected as Arsenal new captain. The Gunners are without an official captain since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left for Barcelona in January. Alexandre Lacazette acting as interim captain in his absence.
A decision over who will wear the armband full-time will be made during the summer, Six different players have been named club captain in the last six years at Arsenal. Which has proven difficult to find a consistent leader. However, it looks as if Arteta has found a new leader in Odegaard. He can lead a young and vibrant Arsenal side into a new era.
Odegaard in contention for Arsenal captaincy
Speaking to Norway channel TV2, the Spanish manager confirmed that the 23-year-old was in contention for the captaincy, saying. ‘Time will tell. He is developing in the right direction.The most important thing is the respect and admiration he gets from his teammates. He represents everything we want in this club. Odegaard is a good alternative.’ Arsenal signed Odegaard permanently last summer for £31.5M after joining on loan in January 2021 from Real Madrid. Odegaard captains the Norwegian national team.
Odegaard has already been impressive on the pitch during his brief time in North London. He gave considerable credit to his development since leaving Madrid and the impact he is having on his teammates..He added. ‘Odegaard leadership skills are different than how leadership is defined by many people. He has some very special abilities that we would develop and get out of him. Odegaard needed the right environment, he needed to feel important, which has been difficult for him to feel the last couple of years.‘
Arsenal have suffered from finding a consistent and popular leader in the dressing room for some time now, with six different players named as the club captain in six years. Now that the Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season. A decision will have to be made over who will wear the armband full-time.
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