Arsenals’s captaincy conundrum could derail top-four chances after the latest Granit Xhaka spat
2 min readGranit Xhaka seemingly refused to take the armband after Alexandre Lacazette was replaced at the weekend, which could hamper their top-four chances.
Arsenal’s triumph over Brentford at the weekend exposed fresh concerns surrounding the club’s captaincy, with Mikel Arteta facing a crucial decision over who will lead the club in the long run.
Arsenal’s win over Brenford at the weekend helped the Gunners keep their top-four hopes alive.
The influence that Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have had on Mikel Arteta’s team this season has been incredible.
It’s difficult to conceive where Arsenal would be if they weren’t there.
Although Smith Rowe’s return to the club was essential in a key win, there are still a few niggling issues that could undermine Arsenal’s ambition to break their multi-year Champions League exile.
One of them is Arsenal’s current captaincy predicament, which was highlighted after Granit Xhaka appeared to refuse to take the armband after Alexandre Lacazette was substituted at the weekend.
After Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was released last month, Lacazette was given the captaincy until the end of the season.
Martin Odegaard, on the other hand, appears to be a new contender for the Gunners captaincy.
When Arteta responded to the tip with a gushing recommendation for Aubameyang, he seemed to imply that Aubameyang’s long-term successor had already been picked.
“He certainly has all the qualities to do that, absolutely,” Arteta said on Odegaard after the match.
“Talking to his national team coach and how highly they speak of him. He walks through the corridors and everybody loves him.
“He is such a nice, humble guy, and he leads with the way he is. It is very natural for him, and that will come.
“He generated expectations when he was 16 as well. Everybody wanted him. And then he had to fulfill that in a club like Madrid, where the competition is like it is.
“It is extremely difficult, but now he has found his place. He is really happy here, he has the environment. He has the people, he has the time on the pitch to enjoy it and I think that is what he is doing.”
But Arteta’s comments have actually thrown up more questions than answers.
It’s hard to fathom why, if Odegaard has the qualities to take on the armband, is Arteta set to persist with Lacazette as the club’s captain until the end of the season?
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