{"id":1093331,"date":"2019-07-11T10:59:17","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T09:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1093331"},"modified":"2019-07-11T11:00:17","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T10:00:17","slug":"arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Over the years, Arsenal have had some absolutely immense captains.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The likes of Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva and Tony Adams all led by example for the Gunners, maintaining the standards among their teammates and becoming incredibly skilled in the art of trophy lifting.<\/p>\n<p>But as we all know, those halcyon days are long gone. The odd FA Cup win aside, Arsenal have underachieved in recent years. And whether it be under Arsene Wenger or Unai Emery, one of the main criticisms levelled at the Gunners is a lack of leadership.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; max-width: 700px;\" title=\"Audioboom player\" src=\"https:\/\/embeds.audioboom.com\/posts\/7311398-alexander-arnold-s-perfect-mentor-the-goat-right-back-is-available-for-free\/embed\/v4?eid=AQAAANirJF0mkG8A\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Last year, Emery selected Laurent Koscielny as his main captain, while Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka were all named in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arsenal.com\/news\/emery-reveals-his-captains-season\" rel=\"noopener\">leadership group<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, Cech has retired, Ramsey is off to Juventus and Ozil&#8217;s role remains uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>And now Koscielny has refused to travel on the club&#8217;s pre-season tour, leaving Arsenal with a bigger leadership crisis than the Conservative party.<\/p>\n<p>So, as Emery&#8217;s thoughts turn to his second season in the Premier League, who could step in as the captain for this Arsenal side \u2013 and form part of the Spaniard&#8217;s chief lieutenants?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">OFFICIAL: Arsenal have confirmed Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel to the US for the club&#39;s pre-season tour.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;We are very disappointed by Laurent\u2019s actions, which are against our clear instructions.&quot; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lKxk6rLyKZ\">pic.twitter.com\/lKxk6rLyKZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Squawka_Live\/status\/1149256285885517824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 11, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Granit Xhaka<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The only member of last season&#8217;s team of captains who looks nailed on to remain, Xhaka certainly feels like a natural choice to take the armband for Emery.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, the Switzerland international can often be caught in possession \u2013 Xhaka lost possession more times (486) than any other Arsenal player in the Premier League last term \u2013 and have the most cataclysmic of off-days, but he&#8217;s also capable of putting in some of the best all-round midfield performances you&#8217;re likely to see in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1082255\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133707\/Granit-Xhaka-Arsenal-2019.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133707\/Granit-Xhaka-Arsenal-2019.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133707\/Granit-Xhaka-Arsenal-2019-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133707\/Granit-Xhaka-Arsenal-2019-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133707\/Granit-Xhaka-Arsenal-2019-66x44.jpg 66w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Last season, Xhaka made three errors leading to shots in the Premier League \u2013 only Bernd Leno (6) made more in Emery&#8217;s squad \u2013 but at the same time, he made the most successful passes (1916) and had the most touches of the ball (2784), sitting well clear of any other Arsenal player and never shirking his responsibility in getting his team up the pitch. Moreover, during Arsenal&#8217;s horrendous defensive injury crisis, Xhaka filled in at both centre-back and left-back and was third in the squad for tackles (52) and interceptions (36).<\/p>\n<p>Xhaka is a player who doesn&#8217;t let his mistakes damage his confidence and is willing to take possession or put a foot in when things are going against Arsenal and those around him look to hide away. His misgivings could be outweighed by his leadership potential.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Sokratis Papastathopoulos <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>During that aforementioned injury crisis, when it seemed like every Arsenal defender would fall foul of some knock or ailment, one man remained fit and ready, plugging gaps right across the backline: Sokratis Papastathopoulos.<\/p>\n<p>The 87-time Greece international is 31 years old now and, having notched up over 400 appearances in Italy, Germany and England &#8211; as well as his homeland &#8211; has a vast wealth of experience from which to call upon.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1093365\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3543\" height=\"2362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11130903\/PA-424131401-66x44.jpg 66w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3543px) 100vw, 3543px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>During Arsenal&#8217;s most difficult spells last season, Sokratis was a quiet bastion of calm and serenity, rarely allowing any situation to fluster him. Sure, he isn&#8217;t the sort of captain to go round barking orders and getting in faces but sometimes, in a fragile squad, a quiet word in the ear and an arm around the shoulder can be worth so much more.<\/p>\n<p>Sokratis made more blocks (17) than any other Arsenal player in the Premier League during 2018\/19 and while his lack of pace and advancing age doesn&#8217;t make him the long-term solution to their defensive troubles, he can galvanise those Emery puts around him, ensuring there will always be calm amongst the storm.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Lucas Torreira <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>After impressing with Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup, Arsenal parted with a reported \u00a326.4m to secure the services of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria. Since then, he&#8217;s arguably been their best player.<\/p>\n<p>Off the ball, the 23-year-old feels like a bit of a throwback to 1980\/90s midfielders, going around with that pitbull attitude, crunching into tackles and mixing it up in the middle of the park. In fact, no Arsenal player made more tackles than his 65 in the Premier League last season.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1082254\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133647\/Lucas-Torreira-Arsenal-2019.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133647\/Lucas-Torreira-Arsenal-2019.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133647\/Lucas-Torreira-Arsenal-2019-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133647\/Lucas-Torreira-Arsenal-2019-768x557.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/04\/04133647\/Lucas-Torreira-Arsenal-2019-66x48.jpg 66w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>However, he also had the third-highest number of touches (2056) and came fourth in completed passes (1390) among his teammates, showing he&#8217;s no mug with the ball at his feet. Furthermore, his <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2019\/05\/29\/lucas-torreira-crying-arsenals-bench-europa-league-final-defeat-chelsea-9735154\/\" rel=\"noopener\">show of emotion<\/a> when leaving the field during Arsenal&#8217;s 4-1 Europa League final defeat to Chelsea was a brilliant example of just how much passion Torreira plays with. This just means more to him.<\/p>\n<p>Among their current crop of players, it&#8217;s hard to think of one who would give more to the Arsenal cause and although that can be seen as an old cliche, it still goes a long way toward defining captain material.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Nacho Monreal <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Nacho Monreal has been with Arsenal since 2013, winning three FA Cups and making 248 appearances for the club to date. If anyone knows what this club is all about and what it needs, it&#8217;s him.<\/p>\n<p>Like Sokratis, Monreal is more of a quiet figure than a domineering, bullish character. However, his experience of major tournaments with Spain and trophy wins with Arsenal seem to make him an ideal player to guide the club&#8217;s younger stars.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1093366\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11131141\/rsz_pa-41184559.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1082\" height=\"733\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11131141\/rsz_pa-41184559.jpg 1082w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11131141\/rsz_pa-41184559-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11131141\/rsz_pa-41184559-1024x694.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11131141\/rsz_pa-41184559-768x520.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11131141\/rsz_pa-41184559-66x45.jpg 66w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1082px) 100vw, 1082px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The main sticking point for Monreal is, at 33, just how much is he going to play? He still managed 31 starts across Premier League and Europa League games last season \u2013 making more interceptions (20) than any other Arsenal player in the latter tournament \u2013 but those totals will only decrease as his years advance.<\/p>\n<p>Monreal is another player whose future is uncertain but if Koscielny\u00a0 does leave the Emirates, with Stephan Lichtsteiner already out of the door, Emery will not be able to afford to lose another defender of his experience. As we&#8217;ve seen in Premier League years gone by with the likes of John Terry and Jamie Carragher, the mere presence of an experienced defender in the dressing room can go a long way.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Alexandre Lacazette <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When the chips are down, you want to be able to look at your captain and know that if you give him the ball, he&#8217;ll do something with it or, at the very least, keep hold of it.<\/p>\n<p>Alexandre Lacazette notched eight assists from just 31 chances created in the Premier League last season \u2013 no Arsenal player managed more \u2013 and his partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was invaluable at a time when the Gunners were really struggling for points.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1087284\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/05\/02223358\/alexandre-lacazette-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-arsenal-2019.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/05\/02223358\/alexandre-lacazette-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-arsenal-2019.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/05\/02223358\/alexandre-lacazette-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-arsenal-2019-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/05\/02223358\/alexandre-lacazette-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-arsenal-2019-768x500.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/05\/02223358\/alexandre-lacazette-pierre-emerick-aubameyang-arsenal-2019-66x43.jpg 66w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Lacazette ranked sixth for tackles (35) for Arsenal in the Premier League last season \u2013 not bad for a striker \u2013 and his high defensive work rate makes him perfect for a side which likes to press.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, it also makes him a brilliant example to those behind him, leading from the front and keeping Arsenal on the offensive. Get it to Lacazette, he&#8217;ll make something happen. Lose the ball, and he&#8217;ll be the one leading the charge to win it back.<\/p>\n<p>At 28, the Frenchman is now entering his prime and has a wealth of club and international experience which he can pass on to youngsters such as Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson. Lacazette is sure to be one of Emery&#8217;s most important generals next season and giving him the armband may just bring the best out of him.<\/p>\n<p><em>Who do you think should be Arsenal&#8217;s captain next season? Let us know by voting in the poll below&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.opinionstage.com\/polls\/2553946\/poll\" name=\"opinionstage-widget\" width=\"100%\" height=\"1000px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"yes\">webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen<\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the years, Arsenal have had some absolutely immense captains. The likes of Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva and Tony Adams all led by example for the Gunners, maintaining the standards among their teammates and becoming incredibly skilled in the art of trophy lifting. But as we all know, those halcyon days are long gone. The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":1093402,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"New Arsenal captain: Who can fill void in Unai Emery's leadership group?","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"With a number of Arsenal's leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery's side?","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1093331","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New Arsenal captain: Who can fill void in Unai Emery&#039;s leadership group?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With a number of Arsenal&#039;s leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery&#039;s side?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With a number of Arsenal&#039;s leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery&#039;s side?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-11T10:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11142154\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Jones\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dcaaeb201e0e17d78934592371278e5c\"},\"headline\":\"Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-11T09:59:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-11T10:00:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1255,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/en\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/11142154\\\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Features\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/\",\"name\":\"New Arsenal captain: Who can fill void in Unai Emery's leadership group?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/en\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/11142154\\\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-11T09:59:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-11T10:00:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"With a number of Arsenal's leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery's side?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/en\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/11142154\\\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/en\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/11142154\\\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"READ MORE: Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Squawka\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Features\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka | EN\",\"description\":\"Football News, Stats, and More...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dcaaeb201e0e17d78934592371278e5c\",\"name\":\"Chris Jones\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1629af3d80ca046be2a55c38052128018b2b9c196ce8d6314bdff7d7ce9f366e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1629af3d80ca046be2a55c38052128018b2b9c196ce8d6314bdff7d7ce9f366e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1629af3d80ca046be2a55c38052128018b2b9c196ce8d6314bdff7d7ce9f366e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris Jones\"},\"description\":\"Gold Standard NCTJ-qualified sports journalist from England. Covered Major League Soccer, USMNT, Premier League and more since 2018, with a focus on data-driven content. Previously published at: CaughtOffside , Tifo Football\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/chris-smith\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New Arsenal captain: Who can fill void in Unai Emery's leadership group?","description":"With a number of Arsenal's leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery's side?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?","og_description":"With a number of Arsenal's leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery's side?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | EN","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","article_modified_time":"2019-07-11T10:00:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11142154\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@squawka","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/"},"author":{"name":"Chris Jones","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dcaaeb201e0e17d78934592371278e5c"},"headline":"Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?","datePublished":"2019-07-11T09:59:17+00:00","dateModified":"2019-07-11T10:00:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/"},"wordCount":1255,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11142154\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg","articleSection":["Features"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/","name":"New Arsenal captain: Who can fill void in Unai Emery's leadership group?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11142154\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg","datePublished":"2019-07-11T09:59:17+00:00","dateModified":"2019-07-11T10:00:17+00:00","description":"With a number of Arsenal's leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery's side?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11142154\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/en\/2019\/06\/11142154\/arsenal-leadership-group.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"READ MORE: Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-captain-leadership-group-emery\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Squawka","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Features","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Arsenal captaincy contenders \u2013 how can Unai Emery fill the void in his leadership group?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/","name":"Squawka | EN","description":"Football News, Stats, and More...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dcaaeb201e0e17d78934592371278e5c","name":"Chris Jones","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1629af3d80ca046be2a55c38052128018b2b9c196ce8d6314bdff7d7ce9f366e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1629af3d80ca046be2a55c38052128018b2b9c196ce8d6314bdff7d7ce9f366e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1629af3d80ca046be2a55c38052128018b2b9c196ce8d6314bdff7d7ce9f366e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Chris Jones"},"description":"Gold Standard NCTJ-qualified sports journalist from England. Covered Major League Soccer, USMNT, Premier League and more since 2018, with a focus on data-driven content. Previously published at: CaughtOffside , Tifo Football","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/chris-smith\/"}]}},"yoast_title":"New Arsenal captain: Who can fill void in Unai Emery's leadership group?","yoast_description":"With a number of Arsenal's leaders leaving this summer, who are the best candidates to take the armband for Unai Emery's side?","yoast_keyword":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1093331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/features"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1093331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1093402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1093331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1093331"},{"taxonomy":"features-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features-category?post=1093331"},{"taxonomy":"squawka-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/squawka-category?post=1093331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}