To lose one club captain could be said to be careless, but the way that Arsenal have been getting through them in recent seasons could be seen as criminal carelessness. Cesc Fabregas had the armband for three seasons before forcing his way out of the club to join his boyhood team Barcelona and since then the armband has been like a hot potato.
The Dutch turncoat Robin van Persie had it for one season before he claimed that some little boy was whispering in his ear about Man United, despite pictures showing him as a boy in an Arsenal top (I’m not still bitter I am over it honestly). So it passed to Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen for whom it acted like some sort of poisoned chalice.
The Verminator not only forgot how to defend, he became plagued with injury problems that eventually led to him leaving for Barcelona, where he has yet to kick a ball in anger. So Wenger picked the reliable Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta as the next captain and as you know, his season has been wrecked so far by injury.
Now a Metro report claims that Arteta could be leaving the Gunners at the end of this season when his contract expires. The theory is that he will return to his own boyhood club Real Sociedad and be re-united with his former boss at Everton David Moyes.
Arsene Wenger has said that he wants our captain to stay but with Coquelin now playing so well and with the Arsenal transfer rumours suggesting that we will try to sign Schneiderlin this summer, are we about to say goodbye to a fourth captain in five years?