Arteta told to strip Martin Odegaard of Arsenal captaincy in damning rant

Martin Odegaard had a night to forget as Arsenal lost at home to Paris Saint-Germain and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been urged to take the arband away from his captain

Former Liverpool star Mark Lawrenson has urged Mikel Arteta to remove the captain's armband from Martin Odegaard following the Champions League defeat at home to Paris Saint-Germain. Lawrenson believes the removal of the armband would allow the Norwegian to focus more on his on-field contributions as the Gunners look to rebound at the Parc des Princes.

Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by PSG, with Ousmane Dembele scoring the only goal of the game inside five minutes. Some fans were left frustrated by the performance of the skipper as Mikel Arteta's team struggled to create too many clear-cut chances at home.

Lawrenson has called on Arteta to give the armband to Declan Rice going forward. England midfielder Rice has experience of captaining a club to European glory, helping West Ham win the Conference League in 2023, though the Champions League is admittedly a different beast.

“The captain’s armband should be taken away from Martin Ødegaard, so he can get back to focusing on his performances," Lawrenson told Paddy Power. "We all know that he’s a good player, but he’s just had a six out of 10 season.

“If you gave Declan Rice the armband instead, you imagine that it wouldn’t affect his performances, especially considering he was captain at West Ham. I’d give it to Rice so Ødegaard can focus on improving his performances.”

Arsenal will be able to call upon Thomas Partey for the second leg in Paris. Mikel Merino dropped back into midfield at home while the Ghanaian was suspended, with Odegaard and Rice also starting in the centre.

"I think Declan and Mikel were enormous," manager Arteta told Amazon Prime after the defeat. "He [Partey[ gives options and a different threat. It gives us flexibility to change the game. It's half-time and we have a big chance to be in the final."

PSG star Vitinha also described Partey as a "good player," while reflecting on his own team's impressive first leg performance. "It was a great night, mostly for the group," the Portugal international said.

"It was a very good performance for the team. We had the ball most of the games. This game we had to adapt to the different circumstances and we did it. We defended well and we attacked well.

The winner of the two-legged tie will go on to face either Barcelona or Inter Milan in the final. Inter stunned their opponents as they took an early 2-0 lead in Montjuic, but Barca battled back to claim a 3-3 draw in the first leg.