Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended Martin Ødegaard’s captaincy amid criticism from former Arsenal skipper Tony Adams.
He recently revealed that the players voted overwhelmingly for him to keep the armband this season.
Speaking during his match conference, Arteta shared that despite having the opportunity to reshuffle the leadership group following the departure of experienced Jorginho, the players chose to retain Ødegaard as skipper.
According to him, he is known to always let the players decide who they want to be their captain, and the recent poll brought back Odegaard as their overwhelming choice.
He stated that the result simply proved that Arsenal players have so much faith in Martin’s leadership.
“My opinion is clear and it is not just my opinion, it is all the staff and especially the players. I asked them to vote for the captain and I got the results yesterday.
By a mile, by 100 miles, everybody chose the same person which is Martin Ødegaard. Which is the most clear sign you can have is how they feel about who has to be their captain, to defend, improve and win the matches we want to win. I think there is no question about that,” he said.
Arteta further noted that amid all of the talks about having the right kind of leaders as captain, the players have the final say.
He concluded by saying that his team believe in Odegaard’s ability and he wishes him all the best in the role.
“We can talk about leadership and the kind of leaders, we can be here for hours.
At the end what matters most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who is going to push them, who is going to give them support when it is happening and 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,” he added.
