Mikel Arteta has reportedly named summer signing Gabriel Jesus as one of Arsenal’s deputy captains for this season alongside Granit Xhaka in a sweeping reform of the club’s leadership group.
According to the Athletic, the £45m arrival from Manchester City has already been elected as one of Arsenal’s deputy captains during the same process that saw Martin Odegaard named the new skipper of the club following the departure of Alexandre Lacazette.
As per the report, Arteta made the decision based on the huge Portuguese-speaking contingent Arsenal currently have, with Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes crucial members of the squad alongside right-back Cedric Soares and fellow summer arrival Fabio Vieira, with the Gunners also signing Brazilian teenager Marquinhos from Sao Paulo.
The remarkable move to make Jesus a deputy might catch some fans by surprise given that the 25-year-old has only been in north London for just over six weeks, but with the attacker already impressing for the Gunners, the decision could seemingly work in Arteta’s favour.
The striker bagged a brace and two assists in Arsenal’s 4-2 win against Leicester City over the weekend, with Gary Lineker labelling the forward as ‘terrific’ as Jesus tore the Foxes to pieces in a dominant attacking performance from the Brazilian international.
Indeed, with Xhaka also named as one of Arsenal’s deputy captains, Arteta is making another logical decision behind the scenes to ensure the Gunners are catching up with the rest of the Premier League, and the move to name Jesus amongst the leadership trio is a wise play from the Gunners manager.
Jesus named as one of Arsenal’s captains could work wonders in the future
Whilst Odegaard wears the armband and the likes of Xhaka and Aaron Ramsdale do most of the vocal work on the pitch, Arteta naming Jesus as one of Arsenal’s deputy captains could work out to be one of the Basque coach’s best decisions at the club given how respected the Brazilian already is at the club.
Jesus has been a breath of fresh air for the Gunners and could play a huge role in Arsenal’s quest to finally return to the UEFA Champions League, and Arteta has made a big decision in giving the forward such an important position at the club within weeks of his arrival.
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