MARTIN ODEGAARD was the easy winner of a player vote over who should captain Arsenal this season.
Manager Mikel Arteta revealed the poll ahead of Sunday’s Premier League opener away at Arsenal.
EPAMartin Odegaard has received a surprise backing from his teammates ahead of the new season[/caption]
EPAThere had been calls from outside to hand Declan Rice the captain’s armband this season[/caption]
ReutersThere has been an overwhelming backing for the Arsenal captain that even surprised his boss[/caption]
And the decision came 24 hours after former captain Tony Adams urged Odegaard to strip him of the captaincy and award the skipper’s armband to Declan Rice.
Asked about Adams’ comments, Arteta said: “Well my opinion is clear and it’s not just my opinion, it’s all the staff and especially the players.
“I asked them to vote for the captain and I got the result yesterday and by a mile away, by a big, big 100 miles, everybody chose the same person, which was Martin Odegaard.
“It is the most clear sign that you can have. 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 I think there’s no question about that.
“We all see things differently and if we’re going to talk about leadership and the kind of leaders, we can be here for hours. So, at the end what matters the 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’s happening.
“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.”
Arteta goes into Sunday’s game knowing the pressure is on his team.
And he also backed new arrival Viktor Gyokeres to enjoy a flying start at his new club after arriving from Sporting Lisbon.
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He said: “We have to understand the player and expose the player to the conditions that he can fulfil his incredible potential. That’s going to be the key and the good thing is that there have been many players, many strikers, who have come from different leagues and have come to the Premier League and been successful. And it’s for us creating the right context for Viktor to do what he does the best, which is to score goals.
“He’s getting better and better every day. He’s normally a really fit player. It’s true that he hasn’t trained so much with us. He had those two moments in games when he participated and the feeling was very good. So let’s see what we do on Sunday.”
Apart from long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus, Arteta does not have any major issues. Leandro Trossard could return to training tomorrow after a stint on the sidelines.
Asked whether he is looking forward to the season, Arteta said: “The more I spend time with the players and the staff, the more reason they give me to come every single day with a big smile on my face, with a lot of energy. I’m very enthusiastic about what we do. I feel very, very privileged.
“You keep digging, digging, digging and you have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there.”
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