Aaron Ramsdale has thrown his hat firmly in the ring to become Arsenal's next captain.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper has told manager Mikel Arteta that he would "excel" if handed the armband, having made an impressive start to life in north London following a £24million move from Sheffield United last summer. Ramsdale has kept a superb 12 clean sheets in 24 Premier League matches and broken into the England squad, also earning plaudits for his personality on and off the pitch.
That has led many supporters and pundits to tip him for the captaincy following the deadline-day departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window, which has resulted in Alexandre Lacazette - whose contract expires in June - and Granit Xhaka - stripped of the responsibility by former boss Unai Emery - and sharing the armband on a temporary basis. Speaking to FourFourTwo, Ramsdale declared: "Listen, I'd take the responsibility but that's down to the manager."
"We've got a lot of strong characters, though, and a lot of people who I think would be good captains. Just to be told 'you're in a leadership role' – I'd relish whatever. You never turn down a captaincy and I think I'd excel if I was given the armband, but that's down to the boss."
With the likes of Lacazette, Xhaka, Kieran Tierney and Martin Odegaard - who Arteta recently gave a glowing endorsement - also in the running, the Gunners manager will have a tough decision on his hands ahead of next season. One thing Arteta does not have to worry about, however, is who his first-choice goalkeeper is.
Ramsdale quickly usurped Bernd Leno at the beginning of the season and there has no been no turning back since, with the German being relegated to No.2 in his fourth season at the Emirates. But while it may be a clear-cut decision right now, the youngster knows that Leno is ready and waiting to reclaim his place between the posts.
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"With Bernd pushing me every day, I know I can't sit back and take it easy, because he'll take the No.1 spot off me just as quickly as I took it off him," Ramsdale added. "He's been good with me – we fight for the same spot, but we have each other's backs too. For me, it's not about what happens months into the first season – I'd prefer to be judged four or five years down the line.
"I thought [that becoming the no.1] would be a process of four months, maybe a year, but I was ready. I felt settled straight away, knowing some of the lads, and the manager made it so easy for me by saying, 'Just go and play your game.' Once I'd got in, it was so comfortable for me to do my stuff.
"The fans have been absolutely amazing with me, too. There was obviously a bit of unrest when I signed – people were talking about me being a second-choice goalkeeper, costing a lot of money and the relegations – but that just gave me added motivation to win them over." With the No.1 spot belonging to him at present, his next task is to win over his boss in the race to be named captain.
