Arsene Wenger has hinted that he’s already got a man in mind to replace Per Mertesacker as captain of the club at the end of the season.
It’s no secret that the Gunners have struggled for leaders over the last few years, but with nine years experience at the club on his side, Aaron Ramsey could be a ready-made fit for the armband.
At 26 years of age the Welshman is finding some of that 2013/14 form having established a solid partnership with Granit Xhaka in the central midfield area.
Despite his struggle with injuries, Ramsey has always been a man that you can rely on and having played a leading role in Wales’ Euro 2016 magic, has managed to get the fans backing him to become a key member of the team this season.
Theo Walcott stands as Arsenal’s longest serving member under Arsene Wenger in the current squad but having made the move from Cardiff in 2008, Ramsey is second on the list.
And it’s a blend of that experience and his knowledge beginning to shine through on the pitch that has Wenger flirting with the idea of Ramsey taking charge of dressing room duties:
Why not? (when asked if Ramsey could be club captain) It is all there.
He has maturity, has improved technically and is more conscious of the importance of his technical qualities. His game is clean. He has a huge physical power.
The target for him will be to have 30 games.
As a Ramsey fan I can see this happening because Ramsey can quite confidently tick off plenty of the ‘roles and responsibilities’ on Wenger’s job description for the captaincy.
It would also be a major improvement to have a captain that is playing week in, week out and with so many of our experienced players leaving it’s time for a new wave of leaders.
Mertesacker retires in the summer, Koscielny won’t be able to feature at the highest intensity next season and Cazorla/Cech could also call it a day without anyone batting an eyelid.
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