Arsenal have named Martin Odegaard as their captain ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Alexandre Lacazette - who joined Lyon this summer - was temporarily chosen as Arsenal's skipper after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy last year before he departed the club for Barcelona in January.
After using pre-season to consider a decision, Mikel Arteta has opted for Odegaard as Arsenal's new captain for the upcoming season.
The 23-year-old will now take over captaincy responsibilities for club and country, having been Norway skipper since March 2021.
Speaking to Arsenal's website after a 6-0 friendly win over Sevilla, Odegaard stated: "Of course I was happy, proud and grateful for the trust and for him wanting me to be the captain.
"That's a big achievement for me and it's nice to be part of such a good team, so I'm going to enjoy that."
Meanwhile, Arteta provided the thinking behind the decision: "What I've seen over the past 18 months since he's been with us, he's represented the values of this football club, the team, the teammates and the staff in the best possible way.
"He's displayed an ambition to take this club to a different level, to push this team and contribute within it, and as well the way he is respected by everyone inside the organisation.
"He's also the captain of his national team and I think it was the right call, and I'm proud to announce that because I think he's a really good person to deliver that commitment to the club."
Odegaard will lead his team out at Selhurst Park on Friday when the Gunners begin their season with an away match against Crystal Palace. body check tags ::
