Arsenal endured a frustrating game against Wolves despite taking all three points from the game to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
17:46, 15 Dec 2025Updated 14:28, 16 Dec 2025
Martin Odegaard during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium. (Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
A meeting held among the Arsenal squad last summer resulted in a unanimous verdict on Martin Odegaard becoming the club captain.
In the aftermath of the disappointing performance, if not result, against Wolves at the weekend, there has been some talk among a portion of the fanbase over a potential captaincy change.
Arsenal scraped past bottom-side Wolves 2-1, but had to rely on two own goals, the second coming in the 94th minute to do so. Odegaard was a second-half substitute for the match after recovering from injury.
But it was the actions of Declan Rice at full-time that sparked suggestions from some of the more critical members of the fan base as to whether the captain’s armband should change hands. As the players made their way off the pitch, a clip shared on social media shows Rice clearly looking frustrated at the performance, despite the result.
He is approached by teammate Gabriel Magalhaes. The two share a brief word, with Rice gesturing, before Gabriel gives him a pat on the back and the midfielder continued towards the tunnel.
Rice is part of the leadership group at Arsenal and thus reaction is hardly surprising from the midfielder.
Declan Rice after conceding during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium. (Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
However, in no way is this any reflection of the job being conducted by Odegaard. The Norwegian currently has the armband and is influential in many ways that makes him an effective leader.
It’s understood that the current Arsenal skipper spoke to the team after the game, and is working hard alongside his teammates and staff to ensure any mistakes made are a thing of the past. Equally he has protected the younger players during the tougher moments of the season, the Wolves fallout included.
Just after announcing him taking on the captaincy, Mikel Arteta outlined exactly the qualities which led to the Norwegian’s selection as skipper.
“Martin has got hundreds of qualities and everybody who has come across him will notice them very quickly,” he said at the time.
“The biggest one is that to be named captain, to be respected and especially admired by somebody, he doesn’t need to shout. That’s a massive quality. A lot of people talk and shout, and then when you close the door, they do something very different.
“Martin doesn’t need to open his mouth and everybody says ‘he’s my captain, I want him to represent, I trust him 100 per cent, he’s the guy I want to have next to me.'”
The Arsenal boss then outlined the feeling of the camp after the meeting to decide the captain. “By a mile, by a big, big 100 marks, everybody chose the same person, which is Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have, how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win.
“So, I mean, there’s no question about that.”
When Odegaard is not available, Arsenal have a leadership group of four other people who can take on the role. Those four reportedly are Bukayo Saka, Rice, Gabriel and Mikel Merino.
During Odegaard’s recent injury, it has mainly been Saka with the armband.
Even Rice himself has been vocal on the role that Odegaard has and his thoughts on the player as captain of the club.
“Yeah, he’s incredible, he’s our leader, he’s our captain,” he said before the second leg Champions Leagye match with PSG. “He trains every single day, he plays every minute of every single game, he’s one of the best lads I have seen away from the pitch in terms of how he lives his life.
“He’s got the full respect of the dressing room, the way he demands, the way he drives the team, the way he speaks. You wouldn’t see him as that type of character, but he really is behind the scenes.
“He’s been amazing for us, I wouldn’t want anyone else being our captain, and I think the lads, you know, feel the same way about that as well. Obviously, everyone has a dip in form. I’ve had dips in form before as well, but it doesn’t matter because he can deliver on the biggest stage.”