Arsenal can legitimately claim to have had two of the best captains in the Premier League era – but they have also had a few unsuccessful leaders.
Martin Odegaard has been given the armband ahead of 2022-23 and will be following in the footsteps of Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira…and plenty of others who were rather less successful in the role.
Here are the 13 permanent Arsenal captains from the Premier League era, ranked by how well they fared with the armband.
13. Granit Xhaka
Xhaka’s appointment wasn’t widely welcomed by the fans, but the Switzerland international won a players’ vote to become skipper in September 2019.
However, while he may have had the backing of his team-mates, Xhaka’s relationship with supporters took a severe turn for the worse just a month into the role when he was booed off by them at the Emirates, sarcastically waving back and appearing to tell them to f*ck off as he trudged off during a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.
After just 10 games with the armband, he lost the role in November 2019 and was replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It really didn’t go well.
12. William Gallas
Most Arsenal fans were disappointed when Gallas was given the armband in 2007, and the defender didn’t do a lot to prove them wrong.
Indeed, the lasting memory from his spell as captain was when he sat down on the pitch and threw a strop after a 2-2 draw with Birmingham in 2008.
After he publicly criticised his own team-mates later that year, Arsene Wenger finally had enough and stripped him of the captaincy.
Lehmann on Gallas at Birmingham: “After the match, he refused to leave the pitch but sat down in the centre circle like a sulky child, until the manager himself came to collect him.” pic.twitter.com/mongfH07ct
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) November 15, 2017
11. Alexandre Lacazette
Despite only having five months left on his Arsenal contract, Lacazette was named club captain in February 2022.
“I think I know a bit about everyone and how they work and how I can manage them,” he said when asked about his approach as captain. “On the pitch, I try to lead and to show that the way we have to press, the intensity because of the coach is asking us [for this].
“But in the dressing room I am more maybe vocal and I want to bring the good vibes and the energy because some days we forget we are playing an amazing sport, we have an amazing job for a big club and obviously it’s natural, it’s human to forget sometimes so I just…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…