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Simon Jordan: Tony Adams was a leader but that does not make him right about Martin Odegaard
Simon Jordan has given his verdict on Tony Adams’ claim that Martin Odegaard should be stripped of Arsenal’s captaincy. The Norwegian has worn the armband since the start of the 2022/23 season, when Arsenal blew an eight-point lead in the Premier League title race. Odegaard is Arsenal’s 13th permanent club captain in the Premier League eraGetty Odegaard earned the honour after the departures of previous club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and interim captain Alexandre Lacazette. But since then, the Gunners have played second fiddle in the title race – twice to Manchester City and again to Liverpool last season. And after repeatedly falling short of Premier League glory, Adams argued that Odegaard should be usurped as club captain by Declan Rice. “He’s [Arteta] got a really big call to make this year and for me he hasn’t done it,” Adams told the Irish Independent. “The call is to make Declan Rice the captain. I think Declan is my kind of captain, and it might free Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom. “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.” When asked if he thinks Rice reflects Arteta, Adams answered: “I think he’s better than Arteta, I think he’s a winner.” “To win league titles, you have to be a [Jurgen] Klopp, you have to be a [Sir Alex] Ferguson. “You have to lead by example, you have to be a winner, you have to go about your business. And that reflects in your captain. “And I’m seeing Declan Rice as a captain but I’m saying to Arteta: ‘Come on, step up now. It’s your time to be a winning manager and a fantastic manager, because you’re not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain’.” Tony Adams captained Arsenal to four league titlesGetty Arsenal have been Premier League runners-up for three straight seasonsGetty Simon Jordan’s verdict Jordan was quick to weigh in on whether Rice was be a fitting captain for the Gunners. The former Crystal Palace owner argued that, while Rice may very well end up being a better captain than Odegaard, it cannot reliably be said that him wearing the armband would lead Arsenal to Premier League glory. He said: “[Adams] would know what mediocrity in management is because he exhibited it over his 10 years at Wycombe, Portsmouth and Granada. “And even when I interviewed him for a job, he exhibited certain characteristics. “But withstanding that, there’s no doubt Tony Adams was a leader on the field. There’s no doubt. “But to assume in this day and age, in this generation of footballers, that all of a sudden Declan Rice is going to be the difference between winning the league and not winning the league. Declan Rice captained West Ham for the first time in 2019 – when he was 20Getty Rice captained England for the first time in March 2024 – in a friendly against BelgiumGetty “Will he be a better captain than Odegaard? We don’t know until we give him the opportunity. “Is it broken? Is Odegaard as a captain fundamentally broken? Were they just beaten by a better side [Liverpool] last season and the lack of availability of strikers, and not buying when they needed to buy at the right times to give them the opportunity to kick on? “I’m not sure of the answer to that. I’m prepared to indulge Tony’s opinion. Let it stand up, let it distil itself. “I don’t think it should be cast aside as absolutely irrelevant. I don’t think it should be enlightened upon as a massive insight. “I think it’s up there for a conversation, which is what we’re doing. “And I don’t know whether Declan Rice is going to be a great captain until he gets the opportunity.”
Simon Jordan has given his verdict on Tony Adams’ claim that Martin Odegaard should be stripped of Arsenal’s captaincy.
The Norwegian has worn the armband since the start of the 2022/23 season, when Arsenal blew an eight-point lead in the Premier League title race.
Odegaard earned the honour after the departures of previous club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and interim captain Alexandre Lacazette.
But since then, the Gunners have played second fiddle in the title race – twice to Manchester City and again to Liverpool last season.
And after repeatedly falling short of Premier League glory, Adams argued that Odegaard should be usurped as club captain by Declan Rice.
“He’s [Arteta] got a really big call to make this year and for me he hasn’t done it,” Adams told the Irish Independent.
“The call is to make Declan Rice the captain. I think Declan is my kind of captain, and it might free Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom.
“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.”
When asked if he thinks Rice reflects Arteta, Adams answered: “I think he’s better than Arteta, I think he’s a winner.”
“To win league titles, you have to be a [Jurgen] Klopp, you have to be a [Sir Alex] Ferguson.
“You have to lead by example, you have to be a winner, you have to go about your business. And that reflects in your captain.
“And I’m seeing Declan Rice as a captain but I’m saying to Arteta: ‘Come on, step up now. It’s your time to be a winning manager and a fantastic manager, because you’re not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain’.”
Simon Jordan’s verdict
Jordan was quick to weigh in on whether Rice was be a fitting captain for the Gunners.
The former Crystal Palace owner argued that, while Rice may very well end up being a better captain than Odegaard, it cannot reliably be said that him wearing the armband would lead Arsenal to Premier League glory.
He said: “[Adams] would know what mediocrity in management is because he exhibited it over his 10 years at Wycombe, Portsmouth and Granada.
“And even when I interviewed him for a job, he exhibited certain characteristics.
“But withstanding that, there’s no doubt Tony Adams was a leader on the field. There’s no doubt.
“But to assume in this day and age, in this generation of footballers, that all of a sudden Declan Rice is going to be the difference between winning the league and not winning the league.
“Will he be a better captain than Odegaard? We don’t know until we give him the opportunity.
“Is it broken? Is Odegaard as a captain fundamentally broken? Were they just beaten by a better side [Liverpool] last season and the lack of availability of strikers, and not buying when they needed to buy at the right times to give them the opportunity to kick on?
“I’m not sure of the answer to that. I’m prepared to indulge Tony’s opinion. Let it stand up, let it distil itself.
“I don’t think it should be cast aside as absolutely irrelevant. I don’t think it should be enlightened upon as a massive insight.
“I think it’s up there for a conversation, which is what we’re doing.
“And I don’t know whether Declan Rice is going to be a great captain until he gets the opportunity.”
