Mikel Arteta fires back at Arsenal legend Tony Adams after avoiding 'really big call'

Mikel Arteta has reaffirmed his belief in Martin Odegaard’s leadership qualities after former Arsenal captain Tony Adams called for the Norwegian to be stripped of the captaincy.

Odegaard has been the Arsenal captain since the start of the 2022/23 season when Arteta needed to replace Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. His reserved personality has led some to question his position as the Gunners skipper, with Adams calling for Declan Rice to take over the role.

"He's got a really big call to make this year and for me he hasn't done it,” Adams said earlier this season. "The call is to make Declan Rice the captain. I think Declan is my kind of captain, and it might free Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom.

"Every now and again as a manager, you have to put someone who reflects you, who reflects the football club that you think can actually take you to the next level."

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Arteta has brushed off such criticism previously and is confident that Odegaard is the right person for the job, with Rice, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes among the other senior players who are in the team’s leadership group.

“Martin has a unique ability, that without opening his mouth, he can be a role model,” Arteta told . “A lot of people are great at talking and giving pep talks and all that and are not as good as providing actions that reflect those speeches or words. Martin is absolutely the opposite. The way he behaves and looks after people is promoting that.”

Arteta has backed Odegaard before, saying he was the overwhelming choice as captain. “By a mile away, by a big, big 100 miles, everybody was choosing the same person – Martin Odegaard – which is the most clear sign that you can have,” he said previously.

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"It's how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win, so there’s no question about that. There is (a vote) every year especially because we change (personnel) a lot and we change the leadership groups because a lot of the players that were there are now gone.

"A lot of people talk and shout and then when you close the door they do something very different. Martin doesn't need to open his mouth and everybody will go, 'He's my captain, I want him to represent me, I trust him 100 per cent, he's the guy I want to have next to me.’ That's it in my opinion."

Odegaard himself is also unconcerned about the thoughts of Adams, who became the Arsenal captain at the age of 21 and spent 14 years leading the side, making 669 appearances and winning 10 major trophies with the club.

"I don’t care that much, to be honest," he said at a press conference ahead of Norway's clash against Moldova last month. "Everyone can have their opinion and say what they want, and I’m all right with that. I can’t care about what everyone says. There’s a lot of negative and positive things to say, but I can’t let it affect me. That’s what I’ve thought throughout my career."

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