The Arsenal captain debate for next season continues to rage. Alexandre Lacazette has held the armband since the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but the Frenchman is due to leave himself in June when his contract expires.
Therefore, Arsenal will be set to have their third official captain in the space of just seven months. Captaincy has continued to be a point of contention with Aubameyang being the third player to be stripped of the armband after Granit Xhaka and William Gallas.
Mikel Arteta needs to ensure that his next choice is spot on and the Arsenal fan base have already seemingly made up their mind. There are two standout candidates as shown by the reaction on social media.
READ MORE: Kieran Tierney's £50m Arsenal exit reconsidered after latest injury setback raises transfer idea
Kieran Tierney was confirmed to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury. In response to the official post by the club it became clear how strongly the fans felt about the Scotsman taking the responsibility.
@Joshua_Makia: Wish a speed recovery my captain
@Rexaerwe: Get well soon future captain
@HamzatOla1: Come back stronger Captain KT!
@_tonmoyAFC: All the best. Come back soon Captain
@10_M49: Get well soon My captain KT
@john__johnnn: Everyone knows tieney is class Captain tieney
@ashe_afc: Come back stronger, Captain
There is a clear support for the Scot but he is not the only favourite. Martin Odegaard faced up to the media after the disappointing defeat at Crystal Palace.
Speaking to Arsenal media, he admitted that a lot had gone wrong in arguably his worst performance of what has been an impressive season for the Norwegian. He detailed the performance as not equalling the level that they would typically perform at.
“A lot of things went wrong from the start, and it’s hard to say exactly why,” he said. “It was a terrible game from us, from start to finish. A lot of things went wrong. We weren’t really strong on the ball, we didn’t win any duels and we looked a bit slow from the start.
“We lacked the sharpness and aggressiveness we always have. We should have done much better. We played a really bad game, from the start to the end. It’s a hard one to take and really disappointing. It’s a tough night for us. It’s tough to go to Selhurst Park, and we knew that. But we didn’t play on the level we normally do.”
This sparked a response from the, at the time, hurting Arsenal fan base. It was clear Odegaard’s words had impressed the supporters from a leadership perspective.
@3cbPerformance: Captain mentality
@fordelsen: Future captain
@McGovernRob: Captain!
Considering the response had come after a defeat, seeing supporters still backing the players shows the progression of what has occurred at the club. The images at full-time too evidenced this.
Yet the decision for captain will wait until the season’s conclusion and perhaps Tierney’s latest serious injury could give Odegaard the edge in the race. Only time will tell what will happen.
