Matthew Upson told the Football Show on Sky Sports (19/01/21 at 10:10 am) that Rob Holding could be an ‘interesting’ choice as Arsenal’s next captain.
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is currently wearing the Arsenal armband, but Upson thinks that Holding is more vocal than the striker.
Last season, Aubameyang was able to lead Arsenal by example with his performances, but he hasn’t been able to do that consistently during this campaign.
Former England defender Upson shared his thoughts on Holding and Aubameyang as leaders.
“I feel he [Aubameyang] leads by example more than probably vocally or how he communicates with the players,” said Upson. “I don’t see him so much in that way.
“He played so well at the end of last season that his performances, more than anything, led by example. His impact as captain may have been a little bit watered down at the start of this season.
“There are other players in this team, like Rob Holding, for instance, who I think is very vocal. He plays at the back. He’s got real stature as a player. Someone like him is interesting to think well, he looks to me, in the future possibly, to be captain material for Arsenal.”
It hasn’t been plain sailing for Holding at Arsenal, who has gone through a number of bad patches, including questions being asked about his future in the summer.
Holding didn’t start this current campaign as he would have liked, but in recent weeks, the £25k-a-week star [Spotrac] has started to pick up his form.
Whilst Aubameyang leads by example with his performances, it’s probably better for the club if a more vocal and aggressive character is handed the armband.
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