Arsenal: 6 candidates to take captaincy after Aubameyang

3. Gabriel

If it’s a presence Arsenal are after then Gabriel will be someone catching a lot of gazes.

An absolute stalwart in the heart of defence, the development he’s shown over the past 12 months has been outstanding. He’s come into this season after an injury layoff and been the best defender at the club; an monster in his position.

Hard-working, reliable and commanding, there are a growing number of calls for Gabriel to take the armband at Arsenal from his increasingly smitten fanbase.

When David Luiz left in the summer the coaching staff were intrigued to see who would step up and offer leadership, being pleasantly surprised by Gabriel taking that responsibility on the pitch. He barks orders relentlessly and has the authority someone like Aubameyang did not.

However, the language barrier is key. His English is improving every week, but is not believed to be at the level required yet.

While that area of his game will improve, there is also the worry that at this stage of his development while still relatively new to the country and not fluent in the language, it could impact his performances with the additional responsibility.

All of those factors being speculative, of course.

Continued on next page…