Arsenal will be eager to turn their fortunes around next season, and Aaron Ramsey is the right man to not only build a team around but lead them out of the dugout.
He’s wanted the captain’s armband for a few years, having got a taste of it in 2015 pre-season friendly, and his leadership skills on the pitch have only got better since.
The club’s inconsistency in recent years is due to a number of factors. Some fans will point to manager Arsene Wenger’s fall from grace, others will bemoan poor decisions regarding transfers in and out of the Emirates Stadium, while some will acknowledge the inability of the team’s captain to stay fit.
Defender Per Mertesacker, the club’s current captain, has been in and out of the team. Prior to that, former two-season captain Mikel Arteta managed just 16 Premier League appearances and Thomas Vermaelen, who left the club for Barcelona, had issues with the injury during his time wearing the armband in the 2013/2014 season.
With Mertesacker retiring at the end of the current campaign, Arsenal have the chance to turn over a new leaf with Ramsey as club captain. It makes sense. He’s a good age at 27 years old, knows the club and its culture inside out, has captained the Welsh national team, and has averaged 40 appearances a season over the last six years. He’s an ever-present in Wenger’s first choice 11 and, since the 2013/2014 season, has made 33 assists and scored an impressive 34 goals.
Wenger has other choices of course. He has handed Jack Wilshere the captain’s armband previously. He may be eager for Laurent Koscielny to take on the role full time when Mertesacker hangs up his boots. Or, to stave off interest from other clubs, he could be inclined to offer Mesut Özil the chance.
Schalke, where the German got his professional debut, would welcome him back. This would provide Bundesliga betting intrigue as punters decide who will challenge this year’s runaway leaders Bayern Munch for the title next year.
But the fans are eager for Ramsey and Wenger seems keen on him too. The manager has noted the Welshman’s importance to the club as well as his tactical awareness, leadership qualities and ability to get the team on the front foot. Wenger has also noted his appreciation of Ramsey’s terrific workrate; the mark of any good captain.
But if the armband is one of the ways to keep other players at the club, it could be an attractive option for Ramsey too. His current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2019 campaign. What the Gunners need is stability, on and off the pitch. Ramsey is the ideal candidate on the field.
He’s been with the club for nearly ten years, understands its heritage and knows what the fans demand. He also has the headstrong mentality to lead from the front and the experience of doing it at international level. If anyone’s right for the captain’s armband at Arsenal right now, it’s the Welshman.
