“I heard some pundits and some Arsenal fans telling Arteta to drop me to the bench because of my little dip in form, but now it’s time for me to talk”- Arsenal Captain Martin Odgeard finally addreses the media and breaks the silence after Mikel Arteta was told to drop him to bench because of his dip in form

Martin Odegaard breaks silence as Mikel Arteta told to make controversial Arsenal decision

Declan Rice has been superb for Arsenal this season, often shouldering the workload of Martin Odegaard who’s struggled at times

Martin Odegaard has broken his silence following Arsenal’s hard-fought win over Sevilla in the Champions League. The 24-year-old led Mikel Arteta’s side to the top of Group B, but he struggled to impress against the Spanish giants.

Despite establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe last season, Odegaard has failed to reach the same heights this term with questions beginning to be asked. Following the Gunners’ victory on Tuesday night, Emmanuel Petit echoed concerns over the Norway international, claiming that he ‘looks sloppy’ and has shown ‘no creativity’.

Speaking on the talkSPORT Breakfast show, the former Arsenal midfielder said: “Odegaard recently looks sloppy on the pitch with no creativity and he looks tired as well physically.

“Probably the fact that we’re playing top, top games every three days has an impact and the fact there’s not a big rotation in the first XI with [Mikel] Arteta that could be a problem as well. I remember when it gets to that stage of the season especially the last few weeks of the season when important players get injured.

“Odegaard, when he plays well, most of the time Arsenal win the game. The last couple of games he was not the same player on the pitch. That has an impact on Arsenal’s competitiveness.”

With fans and pundits alike looking for answers to Odegaard’s poor form, the Arsenal captain has finally broken his silence on social media. Taking to Instagram after the Sevilla clash, he wrote: “Big win! Thanks to traveling fans [clapping hands emoji].”

Arsenal fans flooded the comment section with messages of support for their captain, encouraging him to get his head up and improve. While Odegaard remains a key player for the Gunners, Arteta has been urged to hand the captain’s armband over to Declan Rice.

“I’m a big fan, a huge, huge fan of Declan Rice,” added Petit. “I think since he stepped up into the team, he gave the impression that he’s been there for ages. He’s been like a leader and rolled into the team and off the pitch he’s so important.

“For me, he can be the next captain of the Gunners with [Bukayo] Saka because he’s from the academy. Declan Rice has so much quality as a person but as a player as well. For me he’s no.1 into the team [sheet].”