Arsenal talisman Declan Rice looked every bit the leader as Mikel Arteta's men edged their way to a tense 2-1 victory against Wolves. And the England international has already given his stance on Martin Odegaard's status as skipper amid calls for him to be replaced.
Odegaard, 26, arrived at Arsenal in 2021 and has played a key role in the club's rise to become perennial title contenders under Arteta. Rice, also 26, came to the club two years later when Odegaard was already established as skipper, but he too has displayed the kinds of characteristics many fans and pundits covet in a captain.
This was on full display during Saturday's tetchy win over Wolves when Yerson Mosquera's 94th-minute own-goal decided the game. But rather than get lost in the moment with his team-mates, Rice had the composure to remind his colleagues their job wasn't finished.
Arsenal's recent struggles looked set to endure after Tolu Arokodare cancelled out Sam Johnstone's own-goal in the 90th minute. And despite getting the three points in the end, Rice was visibly dissatisfied with another sub-par performance while captain Odegaard, who came off the bench as he continues his return from injury, got caught up in the celebrations.
Not only did Rice not join in the jubilations, he appeared to lay into his team-mates for getting ahead of themselves against the Premier League's last-place team. However, former West Ham skipper Rice has given Odegaard his full backing for the armband.
"Martin Odegaard is our main captain," said the England international in November. "He’s incredible, but there’s also a group behind the scenes that help Martin out whenever he needs it.
"On matchdays, they have their own opinions and say things when they need to be said and I feel like that’s where we’re growing as a group now. If things need to be said, they get said, and in a constructive way, in a way that helps push other people. I feel like we do have more leaders now in the group than we’ve ever had, so that’s a really good thing for us."
Contrast that against former Gunners Tony Adams and Anders Limpar, who have each tipped Rice to be promoted to the leadership role. Speaking at the start of the campaign, Adams was gung-ho in his suggestion Odegaard should be replaced by Rice, citing his personality and superior fitness record, and Limpar wholeheartedly agreed.
"If Tony Adams says Declan Rice should be Arsenal captain I will stand behind it," Limpar told BoyleSports earlier this year. "I can't say anything against my skipper, for sure. He is one of the best skippers there has been in the game and he has won so many things.
"What I'm saying is that it's not even important because I can't sit here in Stockholm telling Arsenal to swap to Declan Rice. But if Tony Adams says that they're gonna swap to Declan Rice, I stand behind it."
The narrative would suggest it's a two-horse race and that Rice is favourite for the armband if Arteta did make a change. However, it's worth noting Bukayo Saka has taken on the responsibility for much of this term.
That continued on Saturday as Odegaard started the game on the bench. However, the calls for Rice to take the mantle only appear to be growing louder.
