Former Arsenal star Anders Limpar has thrown his weight behind Tony Adams’ suggestion that Martin Odegaard should be relieved of the captain’s armband.
Earlier this month, Gunners legend Adams suggested that Mikel Arteta should consider replacing Odegaard with Declan Rice as captain if he wants to finally clinch the Premier League title, after finishing behind Liverpool last season.
The Norwegian midfielder was named Arsenal’s captain ahead of the 2022/23 season and has since led the team to three consecutive second-place finishes, albeit without securing any major silverware.
In response to Adams’ comments, Odegaard explained that the captaincy at Arsenal is a “shared” role.
Limpar, who lifted the league trophy with Arsenal in 1991, acknowledges that Odegaard is an “unbelievable” talent. However, when it comes to choosing between his former skipper and the current one, Limpar sides with Adams.
“If Tony Adams says Declan Rice should be Arsenal captain I will stand behind it,” Limpar, 59, told BoyleSports. “I can’t say anything against my skipper, for sure. He is one of the best skippers there has been in the game and he has won so many things.
“What I’m saying is that it’s not even important because I can’t sit here in Stockholm telling Arsenal to swap to Declan Rice. But if Tony Adams says that they’re gonna swap to Declan Rice, I stand behind it.
“I think Odegaard is unbelievable. Is he suitable to have the capacity? Yes, in my opinion. I think so. If Tony wants another skipper, yeah, that’s his words. Whatever Tony says, that’s easy for me now.
“I stand behind him because I know how he was as a captain. He was Captain Marvel. So he said a few things about Martin. I don’t know if it’s fair or not. Only Arteta knows how he is in the dressing room, how he is among the players. Is he the first one going out in practice? Is he leading by example? I don’t know.”
Tactfully, Limpar suggested that former West Ham captain Rice might not even harbour desires of donning the armband, adding: “All the things I’m saying is what you expect from the captain, otherwise, he’s not captain for Arsenal. You and I don’t know if Declan Rice even wants to be a captain. We don’t know that.
“What we do know is that Martin is the captain. He must be a hell of a player in the dressing room for sure to claim the captaincy and especially as a foreign player. That’s unbelievable.
“He is always good for Arsenal. He’s dictating the speed of the game. I like him. He’s one of my favourites and at the moment he is the captain, so leave it there.”
During an appearance on the Indo Sport podcast, Adams, who led Arsenal to four league titles and three FA Cups as skipper, argued that Arteta must appoint a captain capable of delivering Arsenal’s first Premier League crown in two decades, reports the Mirror.
“He’s got a really big call to make this year and for me he hasn’t done it,” Adams said of Arteta. “The call is to make Declan Rice the captain. I think Declan is my kind of captain, and it might free Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom.
“To win league titles, you have to be a [Jurgen] Klopp, you have to be a [Sir Alex] Ferguson. You have to lead by example, you have to be a winner, you have to go about your business. And that reflects in your captain.
“And I’m seeing Declan Rice as a captain but I’m saying to Arteta: ‘Come on, step up now. It’s your time to be a winning manager and a fantastic manager, because you’re not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain.’
“You’ve got someone in there who’s going to play every game all season, that’s going to encourage people to come in and lay the foundations of a title-winning team. Declan Rice can do that, Odegaard can’t.”
Arsenal have made an impressive beginning to the campaign, securing a 1-0 victory at Manchester United before demolishing Leeds 5-0 at the Emirates, though Odegaard was forced off during the opening period of that fixture with a shoulder problem.
Bukayo Saka assumed the armband following his teammate’s departure, but the England international also picked up a knock, leaving Gabriel to wear it for the rest of the encounter.
The Norwegian playmaker may well feature on Sunday, however, when the Gunners travel to Anfield to face reigning champions Liverpool before the international break.
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