Martin Odegaard is named Arsenal captain as Mikel Arteta looks to kickstart a new era at the Emirates under the Norwegian playmaker after stripping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the armband last season
- Midfielder Martin Odegaard has been announced as Arsenal's new captain
- He takes over from Pierre-emerick Aubameyang, who left the club in January
- Alexandre Lacazette was given the captaincy after Aubameyang was stripped
Arsenal have announced midfielder Martin Odegaard will be the club's new captain.
Alexandre Lacazette was given the captaincy on a temporary basis last season after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped off the role.
But having lead the team out on a few occasions last season, Odegaard will now permanently be the Arsenal captain ahead of the new season.
Martin Odegaard has been confirmed as Arsenal's new captain ahead of the new season
The 23-year-old joined Arsenal initially on loan from Real Madrid in January 2021 before making the move permanent last summer .
Odegaard instantly became an important of the team due to his creative abilities and leadership skills.
He scored seven goals and assisted four in 36 Premier League appearances as the Gunners missed out on a place in the top-four to north London rivals Tottenham.
The 23-year-old will takeover from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left the club in January
Odegaard is currently also the captain of Norway, having made his international debut at the age of just 15.
Manager Mikel Arteta recently heaped praise on the creative midfielder's leadership qualities, saying: 'Martin has a lot of qualities that we want as a captain… one of them is that he thinks about the team before himself.
'He had a period at the start where he wasn't playing, he was the first in training, the last to leave, asking the right questions – why he wasn't playing, what he had to do – he was always listening, he was always helping his teammates.
Odegaard has impressed for Arsenal since joining initially on loan in January 2021
'His attitude was absolutely phenomenal.'
The captaincy role at Arsenal has been a talking point in recent years after Aubameyang was stripped off the role in December following a fall out with Arteta.
Prior to that, Granit Xhaka also lost the captaincy after an angry confrontation with supporters.
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