Mikel Arteta told to replace Martin Odegaard as Arsenal captain with 25-year-old star

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes there is a better candidate than Martin Odegaard to wear the Gunners’ armband.

Enjoying his old club’s current success, which has recently included an emphatic 3-1 win over league leaders Liverpool, Petit, now retired, has been impressed with the midfield Mikel Arteta has built.

Speaking to Compare.bet about last weekend’s memorable game at the Emirates, as quoted by talkSPORT, Petit said: “Arsenal won the game because of the midfield.

“It was the key to the performance and they dominated the midfield physically, technically and tactically. Jorginho and [Declan] Rice were both absolutely brilliant.”

And going on to highlight the importance of Rice, who signed from West Ham for a reported £105 million last summer, Petit believes the Englishman is a better choice than current skipper Odegaard to captain the side.

“He should be Arsenal captain for me,” he added.

“He has such a brilliant character and he is a leader. He has something different to the rest of the players and is so influential in big games.”

Although Odegaard appears to be doing a good job of leading Arsenal’s stars, the Norweigan international was never known for his leadership qualities. Rice, on the other hand, is a proven commander — he led West Ham to their first European trophy at the end of last season and is already one of Gareth Southgate’s most trusted England players.

However, when it comes to the possibility of Arteta switching things up, the Spaniard will be weary of unsettling his squad, and given how well they’re playing, that might not be something he is willing to do.