says he would welcome the prospect of taking over the captaincy on a permanent basis if manager Mikel Arteta decides to pick him for the role.
The Spanish coach has promised to name a new skipper for the 2022-23 season imminently, having not had an official club captain since was stripped of the armband shortly before leaving for .
Alexandre Lacazette had unofficially taken over captaincy duties in the second half of last season, but he too has left the club, joining Lyon on a free transfer.
Odegaard has been wearing the armband in pre-season and is the frontrunner to land the role on a permanent basis, having also captained the Norway international team.
Arteta has yet to make his decision but the former Real Madrid playmaker has made it clear he would jump at the chance to captain Arsenal.
Asked if he would like to Arteta to pick him to wear the armband full-time, Odegaard told reporters: ‘To be honest I haven’t been thinking too much about it. It’s not something I use my energy on.
‘If he wants that I will do it, of course, and I will do as good as possible. So we’ll see.’
On whether it is something he would embrace, he continued: ‘I always enjoy responsibility.
‘I’m captain for my country and it’s a nice experience, so I enjoy that.
‘I don’t know anything about the situation here, I think that question is for Mikel and the club, but if he asked me of course I would be happy to do it.’
Asked if he is proud to have worn the captain’s armband during pre-season, he added: ‘Yeah of course I’m proud.
‘I think it’s nice for a big club to do that. But I’m just happy to be here and always try to help the team.
‘I moved a lot of times when I was younger but I feel like I’m settling down now, I’m really happy here, so couldn’t be better.’
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