Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is securing a shock Martin Odegaard replacement: report

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard signed a new deal recently – but may relinquish the armband in the future

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in action during the Champions League match between RC Lens and Arsenal FC: at Stade Bollaert - Delelis on October 03, 2023 in Lens, France.
(Image credit: Christian Liewig - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has identified his replacement for club captain Martin Odegaard, in another shock management move.

That's according to a report that says that no one is safe under the ruthless Spaniard, who has already controversially axed fan favourite Aaron Ramsdale this season in favour of David Raya. Like Ramsdale, skipper Odegaard recently signed a new contract with the Gunners, becoming one of the club's highest earners.

And despite the fact that Odegaard contributed 15 goals from midfield last term and has been a regular in Arteta's midfield, life beyond the Norwegian may be in the back of the Arsenal manager's mind.

Martin Odegaard of Arsenal acknowledges fans after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on May 28, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Martin Odegaard has recently signed a new Arsenal deal (Image credit: Getty Images)

A report from The Daily Mail states that Arteta believes Declan Rice will captain the club during his spell with the Gunners.

Odegaard took over the armband from Alexandre Lacazette in the summer of 2022, when the Frenchman returned to Lyon. The north Londoners had a curse with the skippership up until that point but the No.8 has bucked the trend, with Gabriel Jesus vice-captain and Granit Xhaka taking the role last season on occasion, too. 

VIDEO: How Arsenal EVOLVED Declan Rice To Beat Man United

While the report doesn't explicitly state that Odegaard is being considered for transfer any time soon, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine in the next two years. 

The Gunners have a wealth of options on the 24-year-old's right-sided central midfield position. Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira and Kai Havertz are all good fits for the position, while Bukayo Saka may fill the position long-term. Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly from the Hale End academy are options, too.

Declan Rice and Mikel Arteta

Declan Rice will be captain of Arsenal one day, according to reports (Image credit: Getty Images)

Odegaard's new contract extension has him at the Emirates Stadium until 2028.  

The former Real Madrid star is valued at €90 million by Transfermarkt.

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Declan Rice has exclusively revealed to FourFourTwo why he chose to sign for Arsenal this summer.

FFT also caught up with former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, who explained why he turned down a move to the Saudi Pro League in favour of re-joining Cardiff City.

Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsdale has been labelled 'f*cking weird' by one of his ex-Gunners teammates.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.