Stan Collymore believes Benjamin White or Aaron Ramsdale would be better captains for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, via his column for the Mirror.
Aubameyang gained the Gunners’ captaincy in November 2019 after Unai Emery stripped Granit Xhaka of the armband. The Spaniard felt Xhaka’s position as leader was untenable after the Swiss midfielder hit out at supporters jeering his substitution.
Emery justified selecting Aubameyang through the striker’s experience and for having the respect of the dressing room, via football.london. But the Gabon star has not always been a traditional leader, and his future as their captain is in doubt.
Reports by The Athletic note Kieran Tierney and Alexandre Lacazette would be contenders for Arteta to name as captain, if the Arsenal boss strips Aubameyang of the armband. The Spaniard will be weighing up his future in the role after axing him for a ‘disciplinary breach’.
Arteta started Aubameyang on the bench for Arsenal’s defeat to Everton last week amid his poor run of form. He then overlooked the 32-year-old against Southampton on Saturday.
Collymore questions Arteta keeping Aubameyang as Arsenal captain
Collymore feels Arteta should have known to remove Aubameyang as captain earlier in his tenure as Arsenal’s manager. Instead, the Spaniard is feeling the effects of not acting sooner, as Aubameyang’s character never made him a right fit.
“Look, I know Mikel Arteta inherited him as skipper from Unai Emery. But the Arsenal boss has been in football long enough to know that if you make a maverick player your captain, you can expect to get your fingers burnt at any given moment,” Collymore wrote.
“At any time since he took over two-years ago, Arteta could have given the captaincy to Ben White or Aaron Ramsdale, someone like that.
“I don’t know much about either away from football. But what I do know is that they’re not turning up in gold-wrapped Lamborghinis, and that tells me something about their personalities straight away.”
Arteta to turn to Gunners’ new boys White or Ramsdale?
Arteta turning to Lacazette as the new Arsenal captain to replace Aubameyang would be an odd choice. The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season and will likely leave.
So, White or Ramsdale could prove worth Arteta’s consideration if he strips Aubameyang of Arsenal’s captaincy. The pair may be young, 24 and 23, and only joined in the summer, but have quickly established key roles.
White has started 14 of their 16 Premier League games since a £50m move from Brighton. Ramsdale has also opened their last 13 after displacing Bernd Leno following a £24m move from Sheffield United.
Reports by The Athletic also note White’s impressed club staff with his ability to rally those around him. Ramsdale’s extrovert personality has also helped to replace the leadership the Gunners lost following David Luiz’s departure. So, Collymore could be right to tip the pair.
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