Martin Odegaard says he ‘doesn’t care’ about Tony Adams’ criticism after the Arsenal legend called for him to be stripped of the captaincy.
Mikel Arteta named Odegaard club captain in 2022, with the Gunners finishing as Premier League runners-up in the three seasons since.
While initially widely-praised for his leadership, the 26-year-old has come under increasing criticism especially after an underwhelming return last season.
Adams has lead calls for the armband to be handed over to Declan Rice, arguing it will give Arsenal an edge in the title race and relieve pressure off Odegaard.
‘I think Declan is my kind of captain, and it might free Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom,’ the legendary Arsenal skipper said in August.
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‘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.
‘And I’m seeing Declan Rice as a captain but I’m saying to Arteta: Come on, step up now. It’s your time to be a winning manager and a fantastic manager, because you’re not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain.’
Odegaard, who also captains Norway, has previously defended his captaincy style before but has now hit back at Adams directly when asked about the criticism while on international duty.
‘I don’t care that much, to be honest,’ the attacking midfielder said in a press conference ahead of Norway’s World Cup qualifier against Moldova on Tuesday night.
‘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.
Who should be Arsenal captain?
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Martin Odegaard
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Declan Rice
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‘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.’
Arteta previously revealed that the Arsenal squad had held a vote over the summer to help decide who should be captain, which he claims Odegaard won ‘by a mile’.
‘That’s right, we voted for it,’ the player added.
‘Captain Odegaard criticism is nonsense’
Lauren, who was part of Arsenal’s Invincibles side, has defended Mikel Arteta’s choice to keep Martin Odegaard as captain:
‘When you see Arteta, he’s a phenomenal coach who sees all the small details, knows the players and when he makes the decision to have Odegaard as captain, it’s because he knows he’s the right man,’ the former defender told Aceodds.com.
‘I heard some ex-player talking about if Odegaard is not the captain, Arsenal will not win the league. This is nonsense. It’s nonsense because the captain is not the one winning the league.
‘It’s not the captain. He is also an addition. You need 22 captains. You have to be the best player in your position. The goalkeeper, the left-back, the midfielder, the striker, they’re all captains and then they help their team to win, not just one person.
‘The target should be, in my opinion, to win the Premier League. To be able to do that you need Odegaard.’
‘Ultimately, it was his [Arteta’s] choice anyway. But it was a nice confirmation for me.’
Odegaard will get a chance to prove his doubters wrong when Arsenal host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
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