Martin Ødegaard brushes off Tony Adams’ captain criticism | OneFootball

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard (26) has dismissed criticism from club legend Tony Adams, insisting he is unfazed by doubts over his suitability to wear the armband.

The midfielder has captained The Gunners since 2022, but Adams recently suggested Mikel Arteta should hand the captaincy to England international Declan Rice. As reported by The Athletic, the former Gunners captain, speaking at an event in Dublin, argued Rice was better equipped to “lay the foundations of a title-winning team,” claiming Odegaard “can’t.”

Odegaard was unmoved when asked about the comments during international duty with Norway. “I don’t care that much, to be honest,” he said. “Everyone can have their opinion and say what they want. I can’t let it affect me. That’s what I’ve thought throughout my career.”

Odegaard trusted by Arteta and backed by teammates

Appointed Arsenal captain after just one full season in north London, Odegaard has since made more than 200 appearances for the club, while also leading Norway since 2021, and Arteta revealed earlier this season that the Arsenal squad also voted on who should wear the armband, with Odegaard supposedly winning the vote by a large margin.

However, after an impressive 2022-23 campaign, Odegaard suffered from inconsistency last season, prompting some to question whether he could carry the weight of captaincy.

This season began with further setbacks: a shoulder injury forced him off in the 5-0 win over Leeds and limited him to a short 20 minute cameo against Liverpool. During the international break, however, he managed 45 minutes in Norway’s 1-0 friendly victory against Finland and declared himself ready for more. “It hurt a lot, but now I got it under control and I feel ready,” he said.

Norway will face Moldova in a World Cup qualifier on September 9 before Odegaard returns to captain Arsenal at home against Nottingham Forest on September 13.

GFN | Finn Entwistle