Arsenal leadership debate as Rice could replace Odegaard as captain

Arsenal enter a pivotal season amid a rising debate over leadership, with former captain Tony Adams urging Mikel Arteta to strip Martin Odegaard of the armband and appoint Declan Rice instead in a bid to finally push the club to Premier League glory. Arteta has, for now, kept Odegaard as captain, even as the club has spent heavily this summer and reshaped its squad in pursuit of a title challenge after finishing runner-up in the league for three consecutive seasons.

Odegaard has worn the armband since the 2022-23 campaign, inheriting the role after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure and Alexandre Lacazette’s interim tenure. In that time Arsenal have again fallen short of the title, finishing behind Manchester City and Liverpool in successive seasons, despite periods of strong form and a return to Europe. Adams argues that the captaincy should reflect a guiding, winning identity, and that Rice — a player described as a winner who would “lead by example” — could free Odegaard to express himself more freely and push the team toward the next level. The former captain contends that a leadership change could catalyze a trophy bid, stating that you “have to lead by example” if you...