Arsenal boss Unai Emery has reportedly hinted that Rob Holding will be named as one of five potential captain options for next season.
Emery was quizzed about skipper Laurent Koscielny’s situation at the club after the Frenchman refused to travel with the squad on their pre-season tour.
The Gunners’ boss labelled the Frenchman as an important player but with his recent behaviour in question, it is unlikely that he will stay at the Emirates beyond the end of the transfer window.
Arsenal and Emery will need to give the captain’s armband to someone else in the squad and a surprise name that could be in contention is young defender Rob Holding. The 23-year-old missed most of last season due to an unfortunate cruciate ligament injury but he could well be one of the club’s choices for captaincy due to his nationality.
Emery revealed that he will have five players who can be called up as the captain when needed and stressed that he wants one of them to be English. Among the first-team regulars, Arsenal have just Calum Chambers, Carl Jenkinson and Holding as players from England but the latter could trump the other two for the armband.
Jenkinson is well below the pecking order at right full-back while Chambers has only just returned from a season-long loan spell at Fulham. The former Southampton man could still have a place in Unai Emery’s plans for the upcoming season but Holding’s performances before his injury last season should make him the front runner.
Holding looked extremely impressive last season and started nine games in a row in the Premier League before rupturing his ligament. When fit, the former Bolton man is expected to make a straight return to the first team and he could well make that return as the skipper.
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