Martin Odegaard has insisted he is ready to take over the Arsenal captaincy with Mikel Arteta expected to name his new skipper shortly.
The midfielder is thought to be the frontrunner to take on the armband following the departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last season. Odegaard deputised for the duo when they were not playing, having joined the Gunners from Real Madrid last summer.
Odegaard has played in two of Arsenal's three games so far this pre-season, with Arteta still yet to name his new captain. The 23-year-old already captains his country and has made it clear he would be happy to step up.
"It’s not something I think about. I think about the future, and to make that as good as possible, so we’ll see what happens. I always enjoy responsibility. I’m captain for my country (Norway) and it’s a nice experience, so I enjoy that," he said.
"I don’t know anything about the situation here, I think that question is for Mikel (Arteta) and the club, but if he asked me of course I would be happy to do it. I think you will see a hungry Arsenal team coming back now.
"I think we learned that we need to be sharp in every situation in every game. This league is so tough so you need to be at your best every time you play. We have to use that in a good way. We need to use that anger and disappointment and take it into this season and show that we have improved, we have learned, and hopefully we can do that now."
The Gunners will take on Chelsea in the final game of their pre-season tour of America on Saturday. The game follows quickly on from the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko, the fifth arrival of the summer, with Odegaard happy with his side's business.
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"I don’t think we lacked something really, but I think it’s always an area to improve – the mentality of the team — and I think all the players coming in have brought something good. The energy, the personality. They bring good vibes, they push the team," he said.
"On and off the pitch they’re good people, and I think that’s important for the team. We have a lot of experience, especially for a young age. We have to use that in a good way and hopefully we’ll just keep improving with time, with the players getting older and more experienced."
Arteta has made it clear that the announcement of the decision over the captaincy will be made shortly. And he has also revealed the qualities he is looking for in his next skipper, having seen both Aubameyang and Lacazette leave the Emirates.
“The captaincy is going to be decided pretty soon. I wanted to see how everybody is integrating, the new boys, the ones that come from pre-season. The next few weeks it will be decided and explained," he said.
"For me, the most important thing is that the other people – whether it’s coaches, staff members or players – when you talk, they listen to you. You don’t have to be talking all the time. Then you have to be really consequent with what you say and what you do.
“For me, that’s the most important quality – you have to be able to transmit your thoughts and ideas in a powerful way. So at the end of the day, you’re able to inspire people and get people behind you. If you don’t have that quality, you cannot be a captain.”
