Former England international Paul Merson had tipped Ben White to be the next Arsenal Captain.
Alexandre Lacazette confirmed this week that after spending five years at the Club, his departure means Arsenal will have to pick a new captain for next season. Lacazette had worn the captain band for the Gunner when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Arsenal for Barcelona on a free transfer.
Martin Odegaard used to deputize for the French international when he was not available. Odegaard has also been tipped to take over from Alexandre Lacazette.
Granit Xhaka earlier this month in an interview with TV 2 Martin Odegaard has what it takes to succeed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette as the next Captain.
He said: “He is the future of this club.
“He’s already captain when Alexandre Lacazette does not play. He can be very proud of himself.
“You can see how far he has come in his head, mentally. He is very young, only 23, but in how he behaves and is on the field, he looks like he’s 30. It looks like he has already played 500 or 600 games.
“He can become Arsenal Captain. He has the DNA in him. He works as hard every day as if he were in a fight. He does a lot of extra work. He is humble. Everyone in the dressing room listens to him. Why not?”
However, Arsenal Icon Paul Merson believes that the England international fits the bill as the next Arsenal Captain.
Arsenal paid €50 Million to sign Ben White from Brighton. The 24 years old impressed in his first season at the Emirates.
What did Paul Merson say?
Paul Merson told Sportskeeda that: “Arsenal will have to pick a new captain next season, and I think it’ll probably be Ben White.
“They need a player who can lead on the pitch with his performances, and White fits the bill.”
Granit Xhaka believes Martin Odegaard has what it takes to succeed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette as the next Captain.
Meanwhile, Paul Merson has admitted that Aaron Ramsdale has proved him wrong.
Aaron Ramsdale’s transfer to Arsenal raised a lot of question marks after soccer pundits around the world had questioned why Arsenal paid 30 million pounds for the Championship Goalkeeper.
The England international seems to have proven his doubters wrong with his impressive performance for Arsenal last season. Ramsdale kept 11 clean sheets in 34 appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League.
Paul Merson said: “Aaron Ramsdale has been exceptional.
“He’s had a couple of shaky performances, but he’s exceeded expectations and has been outstanding in most of the games he’s played.
“When Arsenal was chasing him around last year, I was sitting here wondering why they wanted a goalkeeper who’d let in more goals than anyone else in the last three years.
“Mikel Arteta got it right here, and Ramsdale’s made me eat my words.
“Bukayo Saka was a close second to Aaron Ramsdale and has been a revelation for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta. He’s been a threat in the final third and has enjoyed a great season.”
