Mikel Arteta’s subtle warning over Arsenal captaincy in Martin Odegaard claim

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta gave a not-so-subtle dig at club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameayng when discussing Martin Odegaard's development at the Emirates.

Arteta caused controversy on Sunday after dropping Aubameyang for the north London derby against Tottenham.

The Gunners boss was apparently unhappy after the captain arrived late for a team meeting on the morning of the game, and subsequently left him on the bench for the entire match, which Arsenal won 2-1.

Despite insisting he felt the matter was settled on Sunday, Arteta aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Aubameyang this week when discussing Odegaard and his leadership qualities on the pitch.

Speaking to the club's official website, Arteta heaped praise on the Norwegian youngster's leadership abilities.

He said: "He leads by example, which normally a captain should do."

Arteta has been highly impressed by Odegaard's development since joining on loan from Real Madrid.

And he expressed confidence that the wonderkid is still improving, and insisted he is deserving of the Norway captaincy.

"He is getting better and better," Arteta continued. "I think his understanding of what we want is excellent," he continued.

"His work rate has been phenomenal and then he's doing something that, in my opinion, could improve a lot which is getting in the opponents' box and maybe being more decisive in the scoreline.

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    • "He is doing that with the two goals and he's had some really important entries into the zones and he looks all the time really dangerous. If he adds that to his game, he becomes a real complete player.

    "I think everybody has been really impressed with how quickly he has adapted. Professionally, how he is and how willing he has been since day one to try to engage with everybody at Colney and then also with the performances that he's putting in as well.

    "He is more than prepared to take that role [of Norway captain]. I've been very positive and impressed with his human qualities as well."

    • Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
    • London

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