Arsenal players back Martin Odegaard as captain, Arteta says

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Arsenal players back Martin Odegaard as captain, Arteta says

2025-08-15 21:57 Last Updated At：22:00

LONDON (AP) — Mikel Arteta says he and his players have no doubts about Martin Odegaard's qualities as Arsenal captain.

The Norway international has been captain for three years — all second-place finishes in the Premier League — and that won't change as the Gunners prepare for their season opener at Manchester United on Sunday.

Club great Tony Adams had called for Arteta to give the armband to Declan Rice in a bid to elevate the team to its first top-flight title since 2004.

Arteta, himself a former Arsenal captain, said that's not happening.

“It’s not just my opinion,” he said Friday, "it’s all the staff and especially the players. I asked them to vote (on) the captain and I got the results yesterday and by a mile — by 100 miles — everybody chooses the same person, which is Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have.

“It’s how they feel about who has to be their captain, to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win,” Arteta added. "There’s no question about that."

Odegaard is also Norway's captain.

Three straight runner-up finishes won't deter the team, Arteta said.

“You keep digging, digging, digging,” he said. “You have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there. For three seasons we have more points than any other team in this league, which is incredible. Now we have to do it in a season to earn one more point (than other teams)... that's our objective.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Ohtani not in Dodgers' lineup while away from team on paternity leave

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani wasn't in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup on Friday night because he is “away from the team on paternity.”

The team announced in a post on X that the two-way superstar is expected to return this weekend, meaning he wasn't placed on MLB's paternity list.

The team's lineup for the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles came out less than an hour before gametime, with Ryan Ward listed as the designated hitter, and batting seventh.

Asked three hours before the game about the delayed lineup, manager Dave Roberts said he was working out “some things with some position players” and made no mention of Ohtani.

Roberts was asked about Ohtani's sore left knee and said he had not spoken to him Friday. “Just assuming that after the off day he's in a good spot,” the manager said.

Roberts often mentions if a player is expecting a baby and the team typically announces they have been placed on paternity leave.

Ohtani, who turns 32 on July 5, and his 29-year-old wife, Mamiko Tanaka, became first-time parents in April 2025 with the birth of their daughter. He first announced on social media in December 2024 that the couple was expecting.

The famously private Ohtani has never publicly revealed her name and has carefully avoided showing her face in the rare family photos he posts to his social media.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb