AN ODE TO MARTIN

Arteta and entire Gunners squad sing the praises of their captain

- by MIKE WALTERS

MARTIN ODEGAARD won the dressing room vote to carry on as captain by a landslide to quell the first hint of discord among Arsenal royalty.

On the eve of the new season, former Gunners skipper Tony Adams rocked the boat by telling manager Mikel Arteta to strip Odegaard of the armband and hand it to Declan Rice.

But Arteta steadied the ship by revealing the Norwegian he appointed captain three years ago still enjoyed overwhelming support among his teammates.

Arteta did not answer Adams' suggestion directly, but revealed: "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.

"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.

"It's how they feel about who has to be their captain."