Is Alexandre Lacazette the right choice as Arsenal captain

A Lacazette

Is Alexandre Lacazette the right choice as Arsenal captain?

by Jonny Bray

Alexandre Lacazette has been named Arsenal captain following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 

The Gabonese striker’s move to Barcelona was another example of the club’s recent poor record with their captains. 

He was just another name in a long line of Arsenal skippers to leave the club unceremoniously. 
Other players could have been named captain instead. 

Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel have all shown that they have what it takes to captain the side. 

In contrast, there are several reasons why Lacazette may be the wrong choice. 

So, has Arteta made the right call or is Lacazette doomed to fail as his predecessor did? 

What will he bring to the role? 


Lacazette is the most experienced forward at the club. 

The Frenchman has played 145 Premier League games for Arsenal, scoring 53 goals and recording 22 assists in the process. 

That’s actually a very solid record for a player often criticised for not contributing enough in front of goal. 

He’s been at the club for five years now and has consistently been picked under three different managers. 

The 30-year-old may not have many years left in North London but he’s guaranteed a starting spot in Arteta’s team for now as the Gunners are criminally low on options up front.

So there are good reasons why Arteta has made this decision and presumably the Spaniard has gone for an experienced captain to counterbalance having an incredibly inexperienced squad. 

On top of that, he is actually an outstanding player. He just arrived to so much hype and fanfare that it was unlikely he would ever exceed those expectations. 

What does he lack? 


As mentioned before, there’s no guarantee Lacazette will be at the club for more than another year. 

His contract expires in a year, meaning the Gunners are at risk of losing another big-money signing for nothing. 

Even if he does sign an extension, do we really want to be relying on a 31-year-old Lacazette for goals when the club is trying to move back to consistently qualifying for the Champions League? 

So as a long-term option up front, there are still question marks around Lacazette, and what does it say when a club’s captain isn’t guaranteed to be in the manager’s plans for years to come? 

Lacazette can definitely do a job for the rest of this season, but if Arsenal want to continue to rise under Arteta, then you’d think there’s a better long-term option for captain in the dressing room than him.

Who else could have been captain? 


Arsenal have missed a massive opportunity by not handing the captaincy to Tierney. 

The Scottish left-back is loved amongst the fans, committed on the pitch and skilful on the ball. 

He’s also the perfect age to take over as captain, with potentially another decade of playing football at the highest level ahead of him. 

But even if Arteta is worried that Tierney won’t always be fit, he also had an outstanding option in Gabriel. 

Since joining the club, the centre-back has been an inspirational figure, and it feels like we’re missing a great chance to have a real warrior lead the club. 

And, of course, handing Saka the Arsenal at 20 years of age was also an option. 

It would have been a risk, but the young winger has shown he can step up to the plate. 

It could have also been used as part of a deal to get Saka to extend his Arsenal contract. 

In short, you have to respect what Lacazette brings to the table. 

But there’s no denying there were better long-term options for club captain. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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