As quoted by The Independent, Mikel Arteta has revealed what he wants to see from the leadership group at Arsenal.
What did he say?
The recently-appointed head coach at Arsenal has kept things the same in terms of who the captain is, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang retaining the armband for now after Granit Xhaka was stripped of it earlier this season.
And Arteta has now admitted that stability and clarity over who the captain is can be a major influence on building a relationship with the club’s fans, and insisted the Gunners’ leaders will have to step up and show their pedigree.
He said: “The more stability we can generate with our captain and the players we have in the squad, I think the more clarity we will have to transmit to the fans what we are trying to do. There are many factors, some we cannot control, but at the moment everything is OK and not the time for me to change things in place because I haven’t seen real things to make the decisions.
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“I have been at clubs that have four or five captains. It is more a leadership group than captains. At the end it is one guy wearing the armband and after the team picks the leaders. The moment they pick the leaders is when someone talks if they listen or they are looking at the roof. That is when you see.”
A recurring problem
Make no mistake about it, the captaincy has been a cursed subject at the Emirates for some time now.
Even during the days of Arsene Wenger, the armband had a decreasing influence, with the Frenchman even memorably saying after a game at Manchester City that he didn’t know who his captain was after Laurent Koscielny was forced off with injury.
Players like Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and even Laurent Koscielny when Unai Emery was in charge, have all had the honour of being Arsenal captain, but have thrown it all away by securing moves away. The Gunners could find themselves in a similar position with Aubameyang, whose future at the club is uncertain after he reportedly shelved talks over a new contract.
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It is exactly why Arteta’s strong stance on the matter is very refreshing for the Gunners, and a sign that he is keen to address a problem that plagued his predecessors.
Meanwhile, this early setback should force Mikel Arteta into taking a tough stance with Raul Sanllehi and Edu.
