Captaincy Curse at Arsenal: Who's next?

It is no myth that, for the past few years, whosoever has taken over the captain’s armband has ended up leaving Arsenal. Time and again, Arsenal names their best man as the club’s captain, only to see him leave in the subsequent seasons. Vieira, Henry, Fabregas and now probably, Persie. Even if Persie decides to make a ‘Rooneysque’ last season’s U-Turn and surprise us all, it would be disappointing from the club’s point of view if they decide to stick to him as the Captain. Making statements like the ‘Club is not ambitious enough’ certainly is not a mark of a Captain. Persie was a part of Arsenal for 8 years, out of which he could garner only 1 full and successful season and he now sees himself as a bigger entity than the club. How can a player who thinks his club isn’t capable enough, lead a team of 11 to the pitch and motivate them to win.

Persie or no Persie, Arsenal FC definitely have a daunting task ahead for the coming season to prove to the fans, rivals, and the entire football world they are still a force to reckon with. It iss time the young guns come out blazing and restore Arsenal to its past glory. But for this to happen, the club needs a strong captain at the helm. Two of the strongest contenders for the captaincy role would definitely be Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta.

Thomas Vermaelen

A solid defender, deputy to Persie in the previous campaign, and a never-say-die attitude puts Vermaelen in pole position in the race to finish as the Captain. There is a hunger in him to win games which is very visible on the field when he is marshalling his defensive line. Not only is he the heart of the Arsenal back four, he is a force when moving forward to support the attack. Many a times, it has been his foray of runs forward and goals that has given Arsenal crucial wins. Vermaelen has been the captain for Ajax before joining Arsenal and, until being injured last season, Belgium. Leading the Gunners out on the field wouldn’t be anything new for him.

Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta, without any doubt, was the most consistent of the performers for Arsenal after Persie. Focal point of all the attacks and defensive cover for the back four, he fulfilled his duties successfully. The best signing out of the 5 ‘panic buys’ by Wenger on deadline day, he somewhat made up for the fact that star midfielder Fabregas was sold. A tireless worker, he is a dominant force in the midfield. His vast experience of playing in the Premier League also makes him a strong contender for the armband. While the defensive line of Arsenal might keep shuffling throughout the season to accommodate recognized centre backs, Arteta is going to feature in most of the games unless he gets injured.

The chances are less, but the possibility of Wenger looking to someone else other than the above two can’t be ruled out. Rosicky, captain of Czech Republic, might not have been a prominent feature in the Arsenal midfield but has shown signs of a comeback to his old days with some brilliant performances in the second half of last season. But how many games he would feature in this season, remains in doubt as Ramsey will try to give him a tough fight for the starting spot. The return of Wilshere would not help Rosicky’s case either. Sagna, the most underrated player in the Arsenal line-up, can be another candidate. He has been at the club for 5 years now and has hardly missed any game when fit. He is also one of the senior most French members of the squad and knowing Wenger’s affinity to French players, it should not come as a surprise if Wenger decides to recognize Sagna’s efforts for the team with the captains armband.

Whoever is named as the captain of Arsenal next season, if there is a new captain that is, the fans would want him to stick to the club for a few seasons. Its very difficult for any team to be successful if the leadership changes hands every now and then. The captaincy at Arsenal should be a medal of honor for a player, not a passport for him to exit the club.