Thomas Vermaelen’s Arsenal career has been somewhat up in the air since the transfer window opened this summer. It was first reported that Manchester United were interested in signing him, and that he wanted more game time. Barcelona were also believed to be interested should a move to Man Utd fall through. Then it looked as if he was set to see out his contract at Arsenal.
However, the rumour mill continues to churn and now it is reported that Vermaelen will hold ‘crunch talks’ with Arsène Wenger in an attempt to determine his future. If he is to leave Arsenal, it would leave the captains position open. Here are five candidates who could take on the role:
1. Mikel Arteta
Arteta is already Arsenal’s vice captain, so it would seem logical that it is he who steps up and takes the captain’s armband. He’s experienced, he knows the squad well and he (usually) keeps a cool head under pressure. The only problem is that his game time from now on could start to lessen. It is possible that we will bring in another midfielder, with William Carvalho and Sami Khedira the most widely reported. This would certainly push Mikel down the pecking order and we don’t want another Vermaelen situation in a years time. Use the page numbers below to navigate through the rest of the article.