Arsenal have a leadership group of five players this season, with Mikel Arteta having to turn to the other four in captain Martin Odegaard’s absence.
John Cross reports for the Mirror that Arsenal have a leadership group of five big personalities in the dressing room, with Martin Odegaard obviously leading the pack after the players held a landslide vote for him to remain as captain this season.
The other four are reportedly Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Mikel Merino.
This season, Saka has worn the armband whenever he has started and Odegaard hasn’t, so it looks like he’s effectively the vice captain. Gabriel has taken on the captaincy on the few occasions when neither have been available to start.
Rice is yet to start as captain for Arsenal in a match this season, as the Gunners thankfully haven’t had to play a game without all three of Odegaard, Saka, and Gabriel so far.
But Rice did wear the captain’s armband for the final game of the 2024/25 campaign, the last time all three players weren’t involved (at least until Saka and Odegaard came on as substitutes in the second half).
As for Merino, the midfielder hasn’t started a single match as captain since joining Arsenal last summer, but he’s clearly one of the more experienced players in the dressing room.
From the short list of Arsenal players older than Merino, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga are unlikely to have central leadership roles at the club after joining this summer.
That only leaves Leandro Trossard and David Raya, and it’s perhaps notable that Merino has edged ahead of those two. But it’s not hugely surprising, as the likes of Mikel Arteta and Spain boss Luis de la Fuente have regularly talked up the midfielder’s tactical intelligence in recent weeks.
With any luck, Arsenal won’t need Merino to wear the captain’s armband on a regular basis this season. Even so, it’s clear he’s bringing more than just versatility and an unexpected glut of goals to the Gunners.