has revealed his gratitude towards Mikel Arteta after being confirmed as ’s new permanent club captain.
The Norway international initially joined Arsenal on a six-month loan from before a permanent deal was agreed 12 months ago on Arteta’s insistence.
Odegaard grew in stature and importance last term and wore the armband on several occasions during the recent tour of America.
The 23-year-old skippered his team on Saturday as Arsenal continued their fine recent form with a crushing 6-0 win over Sevilla to claim the Emirates Cup and afterwards Odegaard outlined his desire to repay Arteta’s latest display of trust.
‘Of course I was happy, proud and grateful for the trust and for him wanting me to be the captain,’ he said.
‘That’s a big achievement for me and it’s nice to be part of such a good team, so I’m going to enjoy that.
‘It’s important that we all take leadership, it’s not just about me or a few people but I think everyone needs to take the leadership and do what’s best for the team, so everyone has to do that.’
Arsenal kick-off the new Premier League season against Crystal Palace on Friday at Selhurst Park and Odegaard insists his side will head into a tricky looking contest in justifiably confident mood.
He said: ‘I think the confidence is obviously high. We’ve had some good games, we’ve beaten two good teams now lately, and we’re playing well.
‘So of course we have a good feeling but we have to stay calm, we have to stay humble, and keep working hard.
‘We know it’s not going to be easy so we have to keep working hard and always be on our toes.
‘That’s what it’s all about, to push everyday.
‘We’ve been waiting for that one (the Palace game) for a while. We are looking forward to starting again, its always nice to get back to playing important games again, so its going to be nice and hopefully we can get a good start.’
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