Arsenal Captaincy Belongs To Olivier Giroud

Arsenal’s captaincy is a hotly-debated topic lately, but there may be one man who would appreciate it more and treat it better than all the rest – Olivier Giroud.

I know what you’re thinking: “Can you please stop talking about the Arsenal captaincy?” Well, yes. After this rant. If you were indeed thinking that to yourself, then you must have been tuned into my previous rants regarding Petr Cech, Mikel Arteta, Arsene Wenger and the circus that is Arsenal’s captain’s armband.

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If you were not tuned in for that, then at least you’ll be thoroughly convinced at the end of this article that Arsene Wenger is doing it all wrong.

It has become pretty apparent that Arsenal do not treat the captaincy like every other top team in England. They haven’t for awhile. It has always gone to someone who is either retiring or getting sold. To a certain extent, it’s like the kiss of death. If you become Arsenal captain, you will be gone within three years. Not only that, but there is also a high probability that you will be obsolete within two.

So what do we do to fix it? Better yet, when do we fix it? Because it needs to be fixed. Right now!

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Rumors are saying that Petr Cech is going to be captain when Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta are either retired or no longer relevant this summer. Again, I know what you’re thinking “Arteta isn’t retired? And Per is still relevant?” That was mean, of course Per is still relevant, but Arteta is not retired. Yet.

Anyway, Petr Cech is not the answer, but I already ranted about that. I also proposed the idea that Aaron Ramsey should be the captain of Arsenal, but that is not going to happen. Not until he stops trying to be the hero.

If Laurent Koscielny is not the man, then that leaves one person. Olivier Giroud. Captain Lampost himself.

Who better to run the team than the guy that came into his elite status at the club? Giroud plays for the emblem on his shirt and has become such a vital piece of this Arsenal team that, statistically, no team depends on a single striker as much as Arsenal depends on Giroud. If you don’t believe that, check out this post.

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It is not exactly normal to have a striker captain, but it certainly isn’t out of the ordinary either. Why, Arsenal did it just four seasons ago when they anointed Robin van Persie the captain (for one year, that brigand). At the time, the Flying Dutchman was 28. Giroud is 29.

Olivier Giroud is a beacon of what Arsenal players should want to be. He is not holding out for a bigger paycheck, despite making less than the man he keeps benched (Theo Walcott). He has become his own motivation, always striving to overcome striker transfer rumors. And while the criticism he faces is often unfair and downright ridiculous, he responds to poor performances better than just about anyone.

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Giroud is one of those players that you can point to and say “he is Arsenal.” There is no doubt. That is who you want as your captain. Not only that, but who knows what the armband could do to Giroud’s psyche. He may turn into Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Confidence goes a long way with Giroud and nothing would fortify his confidence like a position of leadership.