Captaincy options emerge

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s ruthless decision to axe former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave a brief insight into his standing inside the Arsenal dressing room.

Aubameyang was allowed to depart the club on a free transfer as he joined Spanish giants Barcelona on the January transfer window’s deadline day following a disciplinary breach in December which left him ostracised from the Gunners’ first-team squad.

And following his departure, Arteta’s options for the club’s next captain have emerged, with Alexandre Lacazette looking increasingly likely to depart when his contract expires this summer.

In recent years, Arsenal have not had much luck when it comes to their captain.

Whether it be Laurent Koscielny leaving the club under the most acrimonious of circumstances after refusing to attend the pre-season tour of the United States, or Granit Xhaka throwing the shirt to the floor as he was subbed off – things tend to end badly when given the Gunners armband.

The latest chapter has proved to be no different after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang upped sticks to Barcelona after falling out with manager Mikel Arteta.

Martin Odegaard; Arguably the current favourite, the mercurial midfield playmaker is quite clearly Arsenal’s tactic leader on the pitch.

The 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength in recent weeks and has clearly thrived under the new responsibility placed on his shoulders.

There have been multiple times this season where Arteta or a member of his coaching staff have been keen to relay some kind of instruction to the players on the pitch and Odegaard is almost always the player they choose to spread that message.

He already has experience when it comes to leading a side after he was named the captain of Norway last year.

Kieran Tierney; The Scotland international is the preferred candidate in the eyes of much of the Arsenal faithful given his popularity within the fanbase.

The non-nonsense, technically gifted left-back is one of the first names on Arteta’s team sheet when fit, though he has seen a lot of his Gunners career stalled by various injuries.

Much like Odegaard, Tierney has sufficient experience of being a captain and donned the armband a number of times during his illustrious Celtic career.

Gabriel Magalhaes; Gabriel has arguably been the Gunners’ most consistent performer.

The centre-back is not as commonly touted for the captaincy role due to communication issues.

Gabriel’s grasp of English is currently not as strong as it could be and that may deter Arteta from giving him the armband.

However, he has struck up a formidable partnership with partner Ben White who has previously insisted the language barrier is not an issue.

Aaron Ramsdale; Signed amid a wave of backlash from angry Arsenal fans questioning why they had spent £24m plus add-ons on a goalkeeper of Ramsdale’s quality – he has comfortably silenced his critics.

Captaincy options emerge

Ramsdale’s leadership quality is there for all to see, at just 23 years of age he is constant communication with his backline and commanding players multiple years his senior.

Ben White; In a similar vein to Ramsdale, many fans questioned the staggering transfer fee the Gunners were willing to part ways with to entice White to the Emirates.

While he may not be the obvious choice for the vacant captaincy role, White’s ability to lead by example and rally those around him will undoubtedly work in his favour when the times comes for Arteta to decide.