"His personality really shines through on the pitch" - Ray Parlour says 24-year-old Arsenal star should be new club captain

Former Arsenal star Ray Parlour has expressed his desire to see left-back Kieran Tierney donne the captain's armband for the Gunners in the future.

The leadership role at the club has been a problematic issue, with most of the Gunners' captains choosing to leave the club in their prime in the recent past. Their last captain Pierre-Emerick Aubamyeng was released by the club in January after a fallout with manager Mikel Arteta.

Alexandre Lacazette has been temporarily given the armband but the Frenchman could also leave the club in the summer due to the expiration of his contract.

Speaking about who could be the next captain at the club, Parlour told The Design Museum (reported via HITC):

“I would love to see Kieran Tierney become the captain of Arsenal. He’s been a brilliant signing from Celtic and I think his personality really shines through on the pitch. His desire and commitment to the cause is never in question. I think he also has the balance between youth and experience to be respected by everybody within the dressing room."

He went on to add:

“It’s a proud moment to be named club captain, but I don’t think who wears the armband is the most important factor because they should have leaders all over the pitch who want to embrace that responsibility. The entire squad needs to be brave enough to criticize each other and to challenge the team to become more successful if they’re to rival the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the coming years.”

Tierney joined the Gunners in 2019 from Scottish club Celtic for £24.3 million. He had an injury-prone start to his Arsenal career and missed 35 games in his first two seasons. However, he has been relatively injury-free this season and has made 21 starts in the Premier League. He will be a key player in their quest for the top-four places.

Arsenal have turned around their season

An expensive summer transfer window last year placed a lot of expectations on the club going into the new season. They endured a poor start, losing their first three league games without scoring a goal.

Since then, however, Arteta has managed to get the best out of his young brigade at the club who have worked wonders on the pitch. The Gunners registered five straight wins in the league before their most recent loss to an in-form Liverpool side.

Arsenal are in a strong place to finish in the top four ahead of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. They are currently in fourth place, with more points and games played against all the three teams.