I am beginning to think that Arsene Wenger is picking his captains every year in the full knowledge that they will be leaving Arsenal the following year! Everyone knew that Cesc Fabregas was trying to force through a move to Barcelona for years. We were also fully aware that RVP would be in the last year of his contract, and the same goes for Thomas Vermaelen.
Now the poisoned chalice has gone to Mikel Arteta as Wenger confirmed yesterday. “It will be No 1, Arteta and No 2, Mertesacker,” he said.
Arteta is now in his fourth season at the Emirates, and at 32 years of age could easily be in his last year of top-flight football, and with the amount of top-class midfielders at Wenger’s disposal it is probably unlikely that the Spaniard will even be a starter in most games, especially as Wenger has been promoting Jack Wilshere in the hope that this season will be an injury-free, breakthrough season for the Englishman.
Wenger has also mentioned that he thought Calum Chambers could also be an accomplished Defensive Midfielder, so Arteta now has two more challengers to his place in the first team, on top of his straight replacement Matthieu Flamini!
So who agrees that Wenger knows what he is doing and is naming his captains knowing that they are having their final year at the club?