A captain is an authoritative figure, leading from the front and defending his teammates while somehow trying to keep things in order if things go bad. Everyone knows how important a captain is to a club, just look at the roles Steven Gerrard and John Terry have played for Liverpool and Chelsea respectively over the years, take the captain out of the team and you miss a certain passion and ability that no one can easily replace.
ArtetaThat has been a problem for Arsenal this season with club captain Mikel Arteta injured for a good chunk of the season. It might even be the Spaniard’s last season at Arsenal and it could be time for Arsene Wenger to decide on a new club captain.
Recent history doesn’t look good for captains
Apart from Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira, Arsenal have this habit of losing their club captains really easily. A captain is supposed to stay at the club, the armband is given to him so that he is tied to the club due to a sense of morality but that hasn’t been the case for Arsenal, at least not in the last 6-8 years.
While legendary figure Thierry Henry left for Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas did the same as well as he switched countries and then came back to London but in the blue of Chelsea. Robin Van Persie was the next captain chosen by the club and he did the same thing, swapped one red for another and literally scored his way to the title for Manchester United. The next club captain for Arsenal has to be a wise decision, someone who can handle the pressure of leading men, perform day in and day out and stay at the club for a lengthy period of time.
One player who would be topping the list would be Jack Wilshere, a London boy through and through but this season, apart from his injuries, his off-field antics might have pegged his running for this post a little. Another player who could do the job could be Aaron Ramsey, the Welsh international has become one of the most important players for the club and could do the job for them for a long time, he is only 24-years-old.
If we are looking for some heads with a lot of experience, Laurent Koscielny does make a good case to be the captain. The French defender is one of the best in the Premier League, but he doesn’t seem to be the most vocal person in the team. If not Koscielny, it could be Santi Cazorla but he could be playing his last season for the club and also he isn’t the player to hand over the captaincy since he is at the wrong end of 20.
Arsenal need someone who brings out the passion in the team and is willing to give it his all, Alexis Sanchez fits the bill at the moment. He is one of the best players in the world, has won the hearts of the Arsenal fans and has been excellent in his first season for the Gunners. The only downside? He isn’t really Arsenal through and through, but that can be overlooked, especially if he keeps on banging the goals in for fun. His passion, his ability and his love for the game make him an ideal choice for captain of the club; let’s just hope Arsene does not have to sell him sometime in the immediate future.