For our first friendly of this pre-season, we were treated to not only a flurry of goals, including an Eddie Nketiah first-half hat-trick, but also an interesting choice of captain. Hector Bellerin, our veteran full back who was out on loan last season and will almost certainly be on his way out of the club before the end of the transfer window, was entrusted with the armband for this match by Mikel Arteta.
Now, I’m hesitant to read into this choice too deeply as it is only a pre-season friendly. It more than likely just shows the mutual respect that Arteta and Bellerin have for each other. But, it did get me thinking. We’re going to need a new captain next season with both Aubameyang and Lacazette having now departed. So I thought I’d give my top three choices to wear the captain’s armband next season, as well as some pros and cons for each player.
Right off the bat, I want to give a few thoughts on all three choices so I don’t have to repeat myself. All of these players are seemingly well-liked by the squad, manager, and the wider fanbase in general. They are all senior internationals for their home country and will likely be starting most, if not all, of the most important matches this season. While they are all quite young, it’s understandable with this current squad, considering we are not likely to have anyone over the age of 30 in the team going into the start of this season.
Kieran Tierney
Starting off with one of the obvious choices here. Tierney is somehow one of the longer-serving members on our senior squad with only 3 seasons at the club, showing just how much the squad has changed in recent years. Something else going in Tierney’s favor is the character that he’s shown over those three seasons. During his first two seasons, it seemed like there were times where he had to take the game into his own hands, willing the team on and even scoring a few goals himself. His all-out work ethic is to be admired, but it does lead quite nicely into one of his most obvious cons.
Tierney’s injury record is becoming something of a meme at this point. He’s only played an average of around 20 Premier League games per season during his time at Arsenal and I’m not even remotely confident that he’ll stay fully fit for all 38 this season. I know any club captain can get injured, but giving the armband to a player who is likely to miss at least a third of the season due to injury doesn’t seem like a great idea when there are other options out there.
One last con that I should quickly mention is the position that Tierney plays in. Full backs generally tend to play on the periphery of the pitch for most of the game by design. This would make it harder to influence the team in the ways a captain should.
Martin Odegaard
Out of my three picks here, Odegaard is the one that I feel is the most likely option. He has already been captaining his national team for a couple years and seems to be Arteta’s tactical right-hand man. I saw multiple instances last season where the teams were having a break, due to either an injury, hydration break, or slow-walking substitute, and Arteta was talking with Odegaard, likely giving him instructions to pass on to the rest of the team.
Last season, he seemed like he was already playing the role of captain without needing the armband. He was constantly helping to instruct other players where they should be to defend or receive a pass, as well as where they should pass the ball when they had it. He is playing in a position that has him generally located in the center of the pitch, giving him the ability to more easily communicate with the entire squad when needed.
One thing that may work against him is the fact that he has only been with the club for a season and a half. Though, that doesn’t really worry me as much as long as you have the other intangible qualities required of a captain. The only other reason that I can think of that Arteta may look to give someone else the armband is that there could be a worry about how that responsibility could detract from everything else the Odegaard does on the field. However unlikely, would having those extra responsibilities week-in and week-out be a distraction and not allow him to play as freely? Unlikely, but only time will tell.
Aaron Ramsdale
This one is my wild card suggestion. We’ve seen just how he’s worked his way into the squad and endeared himself to the squad, manager, and fanbase in such a short time. He’s quite vocal and charismatic, and with the ability to see the whole field, he could do well in helping to galvanize the team during difficult matches. He’s already willing to go and talk to the media during his first season on the team, even after difficult losses. Lastly, he’s a now-likely-established English international. For a while now, we have been lacking that presence and subconscious sway that comes with having those types of players in the squad. So, having one as your captain could be of real benefit when it comes to relations with the referees and the media.
As for the cons, he has only been here a short time, similar to Odegaard. Similar to Tierney, he does play in a position that tends to be fairly secluded from the team. He does also sometimes seem to get down on himself a bit too much if he’s having a bad game. This is something that he will likely want to work on in the coming seasons, but could be an issue if he’s given the captain’s armband. And regarding being an England international, he has only recently made his debut there, so even though I don’t see him dropping out of the England squad anytime soon, that may not hold as much sway as it should.
Some people would argue that keepers don’t make for good captains, but we have seen examples of great goalkeeper captains: Iker Casillas, Peter Schmeichel, Oliver Kahn, Gianluigi Buffon, and Manuel Neuer. Of course, those were/are all world-class keepers, but I can see Ramsdale having that same sort of leadership, charisma, and mentality to do a great job as captain.
