“I think we learned that we need to be sharp in every situation in every game. This league is so tough so you need to be at your best every time you play. We have to use that in a good way. We need to use that anger and disappointment and take it into this season and show that we have improved, we have learned, and hopefully we can do that now.”
Arteta has been known to elect players to a ‘leadership group’ ahead of the start of every season. But that was ripped apart when Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy and then Lacazette’s departure.
Odegaard will now lead the first-team squad but will hope to overcome the so-called curse of the Arsenal captaincy. Several former captains have ended up acrimoniously leaving the club, or involving themselves in disciplinary issues.
Before Aubameyang, Granit Xhaka had the armband removed after he gestured to supporters jeering him off in a fixture against Crystal Palace. His predecessor, Lauren Koscielny had only recently forced through a move to Bordeaux. Former skippers Robin van Persie, William Gallas and Cesc Fabregas also share tense relationships with Arsenal fans.