£45m Arsenal star could now be captain for the North London derby after Martin Odegaard injury

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Ahead of the upcoming North London derby, Mikel Arteta has several difficult decisions to navigate at Arsenal.

Along with Declan Rice who is suspended, Martin Odegaard is now injured, and it currently seems unlikely that the Arsenal captain will be back in time for Sunday’s kick off.

Arteta is perhaps faced with the prospect of competing in a derby without his two biggest leaders in his squad.

Odegaard leads by example and Rice is a similar character, already captaining West Ham to a European triumph in his career to date.

That being said, with both potentially missing on Sunday, there could be another call for Arteta to make, along with finding two new starters in his midfield.

Gabriel Jesus might captain Arsenal against Tottenham if he’s back from injury

In terms of his midfield, Arteta should start Ethan Nwaneri either on the left or right, a youngster with the ability and raw mentality to win a derby.

And in terms of his captaincy choice, it seems as if the Arsenal manager might choose to go with Gabriel Jesus if he’s fit and ready to start.

READ MORE: Troy Deeney suggests that Martin Odegaard’s injury could really trouble one Arsenal player

It’s rumoured that Jesus might be ready, even if nothing official has surfaced yet to suggest so.

But when Arteta handed Odegaard the captaincy back in 2022, he said that both Jesus and Granit Xhaka were the vice-captains.

Of course, with the latter now departed, the £45m Brazilian could lead Arsenal out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the Gunners earned a 3-2 victory last season.

Mikel Arteta might turn to Bukayo Saka as North London derby captain

That being said, if Jesus isn’t fit, or perhaps even out of choice, Arteta may decide to make Hale End superstar Bukayo Saka his captain.

Saka has often worn the armband once others have been substituted, and he is certainly a character who can lead by example, a move that might inspire the Englishman.

Away from the captaincy debate, there has even been some talk among supporters that Saka could even move into midfield against Spurs.

Many fancy Saka’s chances as a #10 in place of Odegaard, but that’s surely not a move that Arteta would be willing to make.

As mentioned, Nwaneri could be perfect for the role, presuming Arteta trusts the 17-year-old to help lead the press.

That being said, Arsenal may have made a mistake loaning Fabio Vieira back to FC Porto with the benefit of hindsight.