Mikel Arteta has been advised to to take the Arsenal captaincy away from Martin Odegaard by Mark Lawrenson who has named the ideal replacement
The Norway international has been a central part of improvements the Gunners have made under Mikel Arteta following his arrival from Real Madrid.
Odegaard took on the armband on a permanent basis three years ago and has led his side by example, exhibiting all the qualities Arteta demands from his players both on and off the pitch.
The 26-year-old has, however, endured a difficult season that was derailed by an ankle injury that required surgery in September.
After returning to fitness Odegaard has struggled to to regain his best form and was again subdued in Tuesday’s damaging Champions League semi-final first leg defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
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And with Declan Rice’s influence growing in conjunction with his teammate’s decline, Lawrenson believes it’s time Arteta made a decisive change.
‘The captain’s armband should be taken away from Martin Odegaard, so he can get back to focusing on his performances,’ said the former Liverpool defender.
‘We all know that he’s a good player, but he’s just had a six out of 10 season.
‘If you gave Declan Rice the armband instead, you imagine that it wouldn’t affect his performances, especially considering he was captain at West Ham.
‘I’d give it to Rice so Odegaard can focus on improving his performances.’
Despite appearing to be facing an impossible task Arsenal remain optimistic of mounting a comeback that would secure only their second ever appearance in a Champions League final.
Speaking after the first leg, midfielder Mikel Merino said: ‘It was a tough game.
‘Every minute counts, and in the first 10-15 minutes maybe we didn’t perform at the level we are used to, but I think the team recovered really well from the goal.
‘We showed a lot of character and personality, and we almost dominated the rest of the game.
‘We know we have a really good team, a powerful team, and we are really confident that we’re going to win the second leg.
‘I think people are optimistic. We know that what we showed today is just the beginning of what we are, and obviously really confident, really full of power for the second leg.
‘I think what we’ll learn is that we are able to dominate any team, anywhere. This is a team that really wants to be the ball the whole time, really wants to keep you in your box.
‘Today we proved that we can play against anyone and be the main team on the pitch. Today showed us that we are really capable of performing anywhere. We can’t wait to go to Paris.’