With Arsenal showing a new defensive solidity to add to the great attacking flair and ability to keep the ball and create chances, and perhaps looking for a new club captain at the same time, as the current man with the armband Mikel Arteta is getting old and not playing much, you might think that the current vice captain Per Mertesacker would be the player to get the nod from Arsene Wenger.
But the Frenchman has another very good central defender Laurent Koscielny and from what the manager said about his fellow Frenchman in a report on the Arsenal website, perhaps we are going to see Kos become the boss.
The 29-year old is about to complete his fifth season with the Gunners and so is one of the old heads in the squad. He is also more likely to be a guaranteed starter next season, especially if the boss decides to splash the transfer cash on a new centre back during the summer transfer window.
Wenger is clearly delighted with the attitude of Koscielny, who has had to battle and work his way up from the lower French leagues to where he is now. And perhaps the extra aggression that he has will make him the perfect captain for the new look Arsenal team.
Wenger said, “He had a lack of experience when he came here. When I watched him, I saw the potential but he had a lack of experience, and with that he had a bit of a lack of confidence as well.
“Now he’s getting stature. He has pace, technique, understanding of the game and intelligence, as well as the needed confidence to play.
“He has developed and has gone through some difficult periods. That’s part of the development.
“Because he started late in his career, he had to gain that experience of being responsible.
“It’s really satisfying to see him fulfil his potential because he’s a player I bought from Lorient. When you listen to people, you always get names that everybody knows.
“Sometimes it’s rewarding to find people who have the quality to play for our club but are not necessarily the names that everybody else is after.
“He really has the level and it’s important as well that these players get the chance to play for us.
“When you make a successful buy you are always happy, because you think you have done something well for the club and that’s what you want to do.”
Do you think Koscielny would make a good Arsenal captain? And if not, who would you like to see wearing the armband next year?