Mikel Arteta has slammed calls for Martin Odegaard to be stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by insisting there is “no question” the Norway midfielder is the right man to lead their Premier League title challenge.

Former Arsenal skipper Tony Adams recently urged Arteta to give England midfielder Declan Rice the armband instead of Odegaard.

But the Gunners boss mounted a strong defence of Odegaard’s leadership qualities after revealing Arsenal’s players had voted for him to be retained as captain.

“My opinion is clear, and it’s not just my opinion. It’s all the staff and especially the players,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.

“I asked them to vote for the captain, and I got the results yesterday. By a mile, by a big, big (margin), by 100 miles, everybody chose the same person, Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have.

“It’s how they feel about who has to be their captain, to defend, to improve, and win the matches that we want to win, so I think there is no question about that.”

Arsenal, who last won the English title in 2004, have finished as Premier League runners-up for the last three seasons and are without a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.

Their inability to keep the pace in the title race has led to mounting questions about Arsenal’s mental strength, with Odegaard among those in the firing line.

Arsenal title winner Adams, quoted in the Irish Independent, said: “Every now and again, as a manager, you have to put someone who reflects you, who reflects the football club, that you think can actually take you to the next level.

“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. Come on, Arteta, make him captain.”

But former Arsenal captain Arteta said he could talk about leadership “for hours” and had no doubts about Odegaard’s ability to inspire his team-mates.

“What matters the most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who is going to push them, who is going to give them support when it’s happening,” he said.

Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United on Sunday, then host newly-promoted Leeds before a difficult stretch that will see them play champions Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, and Newcastle.

Arteta admits that run will provide early evidence of their potential in the title race.

“Yes, especially with the consistency that we showed in the last three years, and now the margins, we know how small they are,” he said.

“We know that the competition has increased the level of recruitment, with another year together.”

Arteta confirmed that close-season signings Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi will be fit to play at Old Trafford on Sunday.

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Nigeria opened their Davis Cup Africa Group III qualifying campaign in Harare, Zimbabwe, on a winning note, rallying from behind to edge Algeria 2-1 in their first match of the tournament on Wednesday.

The Nigerian side did not begin well, as Michael Emmanuel lost the first singles rubber 6-1, 6-0 against Algeria’s Toufik Sahtali as the North Africans led 1-0. US-based Nigerian tennis star Christopher Bulus began the comeback when he took on Samir Hamza in the second singles rubber between the countries.

Bulus edged the first set 7-6 via a tiebreaker, before going on to lose the second set 4-6 to his stubborn opponent, having managed to come from 4-1 down. However, in the deciding set, he cruised to a 6-4 triumph to level the scores at 1-1.

In the doubles rubber, the duo of Daniel Adeleye and Bulus began the tie by racing into a commanding 3-1 lead, on their way to clinching the 6-4. The Algerians, led by Sahtali and Hamza, recovered in the second set and put up a dogged display as they won 7-6 on a tiebreaker.

The final set saw the West Africans break the Algerians to take a comfortable 4-2 lead, and they held their next serve to extend the lead to 5-2. Sahtali and Hamza soon made it 5-3, before the Nigerian duo sealed the set and the contest 6-3.

Day two action will continue on Thursday (today) at the Davis Cup Africa Group III Qualifying tournament, as Nigeria resumes the chase to secure promotion to the World Group II Playoffs.

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Super Falcons captain and forward, Rasheedat Ajibade, has expressed frustration over the delay in the payment of promised allowances and bonuses to the team.

She made this known during an appearance on the forthcoming episode of ‘With Chude’ hosted by popular on-air personality, Chude Jideonwo.

Ajibade said the players had yet to receive the pledged $100,000 and other entitlements, despite repeated assurances from the relevant authorities.

“We have not received our money oo. Please, they have not paid. All the promises you heard back and forth, we have not received anything,” she said.

Ajibade added that the players had been informed the money had already been allocated but insisted nothing had reached them.

“People are begging. We have not received it. When they pay it, you will see. Even our match bonuses and everything… everything is still a work in progress,” she lamented.

The 24-year-old urged the authorities to fulfill their promises, stressing that the delay was taking a toll on the players.

Following the Super Falcons’ historic 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Morocco, President Bola Tinubu had in July 2025 announced a cash reward of $100,000 for each player, along with other bonuses, as a token of appreciation for their achievement.

Ajibade also stated that she played for FC Robo Queens in the Nigeria Women’s Football League for 10 years without receiving a salary.

The Super Falcons captain described her spell playing football in the NWFL as “a tough moment”.

Ajibade added that she grew up in “a compound of almost 100 people” in the Mushin area of Lagos and had to “wash people’s toilets and bathrooms for money”.

The forward added that she grew up in “a compound of almost 100 people” in the Mushin area of Lagos and had to “wash people’s toilets and bathrooms for money”.

Ajibade came through the ranks of FC Robo Queens in Lagos and played for the team until she moved to Avaldsnes IL in Norway at the age of 17.

She then joined Atletico Madrid Feminino in 2021.

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