Why Lacazette should be named Arsenal captain

Arsenal are preparing for what has taken over the mantle for ‘biggest game of the season‘ as they host West Ham on Wednesday, and yet so much of the talk centres around matters off the pitch.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has found himself in hot water, again. While his infraction may appear to be minimal, it is not the first time he’s be found guilty of breaching the rules.

Returning late from a scheduled trip abroad, Mikel Arteta’s iron fist stamped the law down hard on the captain and he was omitted from the squad that won 3-0 against Southampton, with his inclusion in Monday’s training session unknown.

Not only has his involvement in the team come under discussion, his claim to the armband has too.

Why Alexandre Lacazette should be named Arsenal captain if Arteta strips Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the armband

Never an archetypal leader, he was given the captaincy when Granit Xhaka was stripped of it almost solely down to him being the best player at the club at the time. It was the logical move. Over two years have passed since, with performances dipping, and the goals drying up. He said upon signing his new contract that he wanted to become a legend at the club. Mounting disciplinary issues erode such aspirations.

A large contingent of the fanbase would like to see him step down as the club captain.

If he were to, who would replace him? The candidates to take over the role in the team are aplenty, albeit without standout quintessential leader figures.

Kieran Tierney is a popular choice, as is Gabriel who is as close to a vocal and commanding presence on the pitch more in line with the historic makeup of a Premier League captain.

Elsewhere there are shouts for Aaron Ramsdale to take over the armband, as well as some for Martin Odegaard who is no stranger to leading on and off the pitch as he is captain of the Norwegian national side despite having yet to turn 23 years old.

Benjamin White gets a few mentions to, with none of the aforementioned players being over the age of 24. That’s not stopped Arsenal in the past, but it’s also a sign of what kind of squad Arsenal are building. All of those names were either signed in the summer or tied down to new long-term contracts.

What about Granit Xhaka? The biggest ‘leader’ of all in terms of seniority and presence, were it not for the unsavoury history of the Swiss and the armband then it might have been a simple decision for Arteta to make.

But no. There is one standout candidate should Aubameyang be rid of his duties: Alexandre Lacazette. There are reasons as to why.

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