Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Alex Lacazette has assumed the role of Arsenal captain.
The French striker has been part of the club’s ‘leadership group’ since the Unai Emery era but is handed the responsibility in an outright capacity having stepped into Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shoes.
Aubameyang left the club on transfer deadline day for Barcelona, seven weeks after being stripped of the captaincy for a disciplinary breach.
News of Lacazette’s promotion isn’t a huge surprise, in Auba’s absence, Lacazette (when selected) tended to lead the team out on matchday although Granit Xhaka and Rob Holding were on hand to provide backup.
“Laca is the captain at the moment, yes,” confirmed Arteta ahead of Thursday’s clash with Wolves.
How long he remains captain depends entirely on whether the 30-year-old signs a new deal at the club. Lacazette is out of contract in the summer and is already being tapped up by former club Lyon. Given the way things have panned out for his predecessors, you’d imagine the captaincy seals a swift exit; it’s been a rite of passage dating back to Patrick Vieira.
All the same, for the moment, Lacazette is enjoying having the armband.
“When you start the game, from the first man to come on the pitch, even during the game, the signal to give you the armband is a good moment,” he told Arsenal.com.
“I think I know a bit about everyone and how they work and how I can manage them. On the pitch I try to lead and to show that the way we have to press, the intensity because of the coach is asking us [for this].
“But in the dressing room I am more maybe vocal and I want to bring the good vibes and the energy because some days we forget we are playing an amazing sport, we have an amazing job for a big club and obviously it’s natural, it’s human to forget sometimes so I just want to bring some smiles and maybe some good luck.”
Lacazette also reckons there are a few decent candidates for the role in the future.
“There is some future captains,” he said. “Gabriel [Magalhaes], big Gabi, has got presence, leadership at the back. I think when he’s going to be more fluent with English, it will help a lot.
“Ben White as well, he’s more quiet maybe, but by the way he plays he can be a good leader and maybe with edge can build up.
“Sambi Lokonga, but he’s already been a captain in the past so it’s not hard to say he can be a good captain. Kieran as well because I think he’s been a captain as well in the past for the national team a few times. You can see some future captains, or leaders.”
This is why his name in French literally translates as “The Cassette”.
You can drop him, pull his insides out, he can get cracked under a foot, he can be recorded over with fresher tunes.
But. Yet. He. Still. Plays.
Welcome Don Laca. Best of luck in all your endeavours.
But in a few months he’ll Walkman.
That’s beautiful. Take a bow son. 👏 👏 👏
Well done.
Hopefully he will show us a honeymoonwalk till the summer.
Loved it!
When the reply comments get more likes, you know you did good.
What fucking cassettes did you use?
Agreed. Cassettes were a fucking horror show. Horrible, chewing up, breaking bastards of things.
Well I didn’t want to say – “Outdated, rarely makes the full 90 mins without issue, poor quality and usurped by far more efficient products”.
But I could’ve. That’s why squeezing unnecessary metaphors from inaccurate translations is never a great idea.
That’s why “metaphor” is literally Greek for “well, it’s kinda funny, so please don’t take it so seriously.”
So it’s actually ‘meta’ which means ‘big’ and ‘phor’ which obviously translates as ‘four’.
Wait a minute… Big four. What’s another name for big? Top? Yeah. I reckon.
Metaphor = Top Four.
What an omen. We are going to do it lads!!! 🔴⚪️🔴⚪️🔴
Could not resist it : The C90 (casette) did last the 90 minutes, wonder if Laca is the more common C60? 🙂
Oh God, that comment caught me off guard 🤣🤣
Definition of La Cazette in French:
“Case of refractory soil in which fine pottery or porcelain pieces are kept to protect them from the direct action of flames, the influence of ashes and gases.”
That means captain to me.
When’s the last time we had so many genuine leaders in the squad? COYG
Probably the Gallas, Bendtner, Song, Walcott and Frimpong years.
This group feels stronger though. Add Ramsdale and ESR to the mix. Bodes well for the future if we can keep everyone and strenghten in the manner we did last summer.
Sorry. Forgot to press the sarcasm font.
I got it. Still laughing. It was Walcott, bless him, that finished me off.
The funniest part is that Gallas actually was captain. My theory is that Wenger was trying to show that Gallas for Cole, if you included “leadership,” might actually be an improvement.
That lot couldn’t lead a horse to water!
🤣🤣🤣 song was decent though
No slander of Frimpong.
This club used to be famous for its strong captains who’ve shown a desire for a long-term commitment. But after Fabregas we seem to only appoint short-term “temporary” captains. This just adds to a sense of instability.
Weren’t Kosc and Mertesacker captains for awhile?
Mert was an excellent captain… the last one we had in my opinion. Kosc was an excellent player and leader, but after he became captain be was plagued with injuries and then left under that cloud created by false promises. Loyal servant struck by the captain’s curse.
That’s good. Auba was never a leader, always felt he took the role more because of his popularity with fans when Emery was unsure about who to give it than because of his leadership qualities. Laca, on the other hand, always makes himself known to our players and others on the pitch, seems to be a real example. Even if he goes this summer – and I think he should, for all parties involved – he always honoured the shirt.
If he goes! Or when he does? Either way we already have a solution to every situation in the club. We are sorted.
LANS?
LANC
Just hope this isn’t going to persuade him and the club to do a new deal. We need to move on from these burdensome contracts to the players that are so old and stick to the model we’ve done well to advance with the youth movement.
Given the option of staying in London n being captain or moving to Lyon, which one would you choose?
He’s Lyonnais. So, there’s that.
Lyon in modern times has developed a reputation as the capital of gastronomy in France
“Laca is the captain OF the moment, yes,”
Interesting to note that Laca didn’t mention Xhaka as captain candidate.
tbh i didn’t even notice. what positively surprised me was him mentioning lokonga
The tend of picking a player to be captain who then leaves continues…
*trend
I think xhaka being in the squad complicates the captaincy. All players seem 2 view him as the de facto leader
Wow, way to embrace the trend.
Rather than be surprised to see our captain leave after less than a year, we proactively give it to someone who we know will be gone in five months.
At least they’re learning.
What about BFB for Big Gabi? He’s definitely captain material and I don’t imagine Per would have an issue with it.
BFG surely
No. Per was BFG, he should retain his moniker. Besides, it’s a different format altogether. BFB all day for me. And it rhymes anyway.
This will just be temporary until the end of the season no doubt. I think it makes sense. He is our main striker now so why not give him a bit of a lift and motivation by making him captain.
Next year it has got to go to somebody like Gabriel, Tierney or Tomi. Nailed on starters
Congratulations Laca.
Ps. Hahahahahahahaha Sp*rs
We need Laca to motivate tomorrow. Open up a gap on Sp*rs shitting the bed today. COYG