Odegaard Heavily Backed: Arteta

Manager dismisses calls to strip Norwegian of armband after overwhelming support

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LONDON - Mikel Arteta has slammed calls for Martin Odegaard to be stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by insisting there is "no question" the Norway midfielder is the right man to lead their English Premier League title challenge.

Former Arsenal skipper Tony Adams recently urged Arteta to give England midfielder Declan Rice the armband instead of Odegaard. But the Gunners boss mounted a strong defence of Odegaard's leadership qualities after revealing Arsenal's players had voted for him to be retained as captain.

"My opinion is clear, and it's not just my opinion. It's all the staff and especially the players," Arteta told reporters on Aug 15.

"I asked them to vote for the captain and I got the results yesterday. By a mile, by a big, big (margin), by 100 miles, everybody chose 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, to defend, to improve, and win the matches that we want to win, so I think there is no question about that."