It has been announced officially, Granit Xhaka is the new Arsenal captain and while it has not come as a huge surprise, it is still a baffling decision.
On paper, it does make sense to name Xhaka the captain, he is Switzerland national captain, was skipper at his previous club in Germany, Borussia Monchengladbach and has been the Arsenal captain most of this season but this decision cannot have been made with what it looks like on paper, it must have been made with what Xhaka is like on the field of player, surely?
If how Xhaka performs and interacts with his teammates has been considered then it makes the decision by Emery to name him the captain even more bewildering, he simply does not deserve it if influence and performance are part of the criteria.
The fans will certainly not like this announcement and who can blame them? Xhaka has been woeful, he has not at any point exuded leadership qualities, it does not even appear that his teammates respect him and his tackling is and continues to be a liability.
He is far more likely to pick up a yellow card than to make strategic decisions on the pitch, I mean, where was his leadership skills in the second half against Watford?
We have to support him of course, he is an Arsenal player but it does not mean that we have to like this one little bit or agree with it and truth be told, even attempt to understand it.