Patrick Vieira believes Arsenal should be looking for a ‘positive leader’ who will ‘set an example’ for the rest of the squad after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was relieved of the club’s captaincy duties.
Aubameyang was omitted from Arteta’s matchday squad for the Gunners’ recent 3-0 victory over Southampton due to a disciplinary issue, the latest in a long line of breaches across the striker’s two-year spell with the armband.
It has since emerged Aubameyang reported late for duty following an authorised trip to France and the Gabon international will not be considered for selection ahead of Arsenal’s clash with West Ham.
Arteta is yet to confirm who will succeed Aubameyang as skipper, but it’s believed Kieran Tierney, Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Alexandre Lacazette are all in contention to take over the reins.
‘We need a bit of time. It needs a bit of time to heal. For now he’s not involved in the squad,’ Arteta told reporters at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s London derby at the Emirates.
‘What I can say right now is that we have made this decision which unfortunately is a tough one.
‘If I had to choose I wouldn’t like to be sitting here talking about that. The next one is that he’s not involved in the squad.’
If there’s one man who knows more than anyone what it takes to be Arsenal captain it’s club legend Vieira, who served as Arsene Wenger’s trusted lieutenant from 2002 until his departure in 2005.
The matter of Arsenal’s captaincy was raised at Vieira’s pre-match press conference ahead of Crystal Palace’s clash with Southampton and the Frenchman outlined what he feels managers should be looking for in a skipper.
‘I think as a manager you always want your captain to be one of the leaders, a positive leader on and off the field,’ the Palace head coach told reporters.
‘You will want your captain to set the example and, obviously, the captain will always have, I believe, a special relationship with the manager.
‘But to have that you need to be a positive leader.’
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk via FreeSuperTips, Vieira’s former Arsenal team-mate, Nigel Winterburn, suggested there were as many as five players with the credentials to replace Aubameyang as captain.
‘I think it’s important at this minute in time to listen to what the fans think and I think they’ll have the same thoughts as me. You want someone in there that’s going to be a regular, stays fit and is in good form,’ the ex-Arsenal and England full-back said.
‘Obviously you can’t just base it on that because injuries and lack of form can happen, but it needs to be someone that can command respect in the dressing room and around the training ground.
‘It’s difficult for me to make that judgement because I’m not in and around the training ground, so I don’t know who is commanding that respect and seems to be the player that others look to for guidance.
‘I would think that at this moment in time [Kieran] Tierney would be put forward, Gabriel could be put forward, Ben White and I’ve heard the mention of [Aaron] Ramsdale.
‘Another I would throw into the hat would be [Bukayo] Saka because he’s been the one standout player in this period of time when Arsenal have been trying to progress and close the gap on the top four.
‘He’s been the stand out player, so I think what it will ultimately come down to is Mikel Arteta wanting someone that is vocal and leads by example by on and off the pitch.’
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