‘Give Him the captain badge now before it’s too late’: Mark Noble told Arteta to strip captain badge from Martin Ødegaard now and give it to this Arsenal Star if He really wants to End at Top 4 next season
West Ham legend Mark Noble has agreed with Mikel Arteta’s view that Declan Rice can become Arsenal captain in the coming years. The Gunners boss selected Martin Odegaard as the club’s new captain at the start of the 2022/23 campaign with the Norwegian playmaker relishing the added responsibility.
Arteta may have another decision to make regarding his club captain in the coming years with Rice viewed as a potential successor to Odegaard to wear the armband for the Gunners. The England international ended his time with West Ham by leading them to a European Conference League trophy.
When asked if Rice, who is the same age as Odegaard, could take the armband within a season or two, Noble told Metro: “I have no doubt. I think one day he will be England captain as well, just because of his mannerisms, the way he speaks in the press, the way he plays, he is born for that.
“I have no doubt about that. You have seen the way Mikel Arteta, Edu and the Arsenal owners have done it over the last three or four years, they have invested heavily in young players for the future.
“You look at their squad now, it is an incredible young squad. Young, athletic and talented players and they are going to be a really good team this year.
“There is every chance they give Man City a run for their money again, because they’re such a talented squad”. The Hammers icon continued by offering his prediction for the Gunners ahead of the new season starting in August.
“I think they (Arsenal) can win the league, of course,” Noble added. “They went so close last year.
“You’ve got an incredible team in Man City with an incredible manager so it will be tough. There’s lots of teams around them this year, I think Chelsea and Manchester United will be strong, Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp will always be strong.
“Newcastle, they got Champions League football. It’s going to be a tough season but Arsenal have definitely got enough, with the money they’ve spent and players they have brought in, to have a right go at it.”
