Mikel Arteta announced on Tuesday afternoon that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy.
The 32-year-old’s disciplinary issues gave the Arsenal boss no choice but to relieve the striker of his duties.
The question now stands on who should replace him as the next Gunner's captain and The Arsenal Way team has ranked the squad members who should be considered, from favourite to last resort.
1. Gabriel Magalhaes
With Aubameyang’s alarming situation, it is time to speed up the process of Gabriel Magalhaes’ leadership trait and make him captain of the club.
The Brazilian is certainly the leader amongst the defence, as he is always seen orchestrating the team whenever it is time to defend an opposition set-piece.
He is also a prominent figure in the dressing room, as seen with the training ground videos, which is an excellent trait to have as a captain. Gabriel has the ability to match, and his place in the side is an absolute certainty.
2. Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney epitomises the correct DNA that is needed at Arsenal football club, and he would certainly be a worthy captain.
He has captained Celtic and Scotland in the past showing that he is more than capable of doing so.
The only question surrounding the Scotsman is his inability to feature regularly in matches due to injuries and the emergence of Nuno Tavares.
3. Martin Odegaard
Despite it not reaching a year since the Norweigan first made an appearance for the club, he has demonstrated the ability that makes him worthy of captaincy.
In certain games, he Is seen leading the forward press and sets the example which is equipped with a leader's responsibility.
He has also captained Norway, showing that he has experience with leading his team.
4. Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette wore the armband in Aubameyang's absence against the Saints at the weekend which could be the biggest hint of who Arteta would turn to next.
It would be a no-brainer to make the Frenchman the next captain due to his experience, and his determination to win matches for the club.
However, the uncertainty surrounding his future certainly puts a halt to an easy decision. If he does not sign a new contract, then he should not be made captain.
5. Aaron Ramsdale
Ramsdale has made an instant impact since joining the club in the summer and certainly has the qualities to be a future Arsenal captain.
However, being new to the club and still only 23-years-old, it is definitely too early to put such major responsibility on his shoulders.
Further down the line, he should definitely be considered.
6. Ben White
Ben White joined in the summer transfer window and has improved game-by-game at the heart of the defence.
However, the captaincy role is still too soon for the young centre-back who has a lot of development to carry out.
7. Granit Xhaka
If Xhaka hadn’t already lost his captaincy, then there wouldn’t have to be a debate about who should have been Arsenal’s next captain.
The Swiss international has all the traits to lead the side, which was why he had been allocated the role previously.
But history with the club in mind, he should not be re-elected the role.
Make sure you have subscribed to The Arsenal Way and the Fan Brands team along with plenty of your football.london favourites will be producing daily Arsenal content for you to enjoy including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews.
