Unai Emery reveals his plans for the Arsenal captaincy

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery says that Mesut Ozil could be one of many players to skipper his side.

The Gunners’ previous captain Per Mertesacker retired from playing at the end of last season and joined Emery’s coaching staff – the north Londoners have yet to appoint his successor.

Emery used several different captains during his tenure at Paris Saint-Germain, and the Spanish tactician has said in the past that he’d like to use as many as five different captains at Arsenal.

Ozil, who recently announced his retirement from international football, has already skippered Emery’s new-look Arsenal side during their pre-season preparations, and Emery thinks the German playmaker – among others in the side – has the right qualities for the job.

“We are working together and giving the responsibility to the player,” Emery told Goal.

“I think he can take the responsibility like a captain, but not forget Koscielny because he is a captain as well.

“Petr Cech and Aaron [Ramsey] played as captains in friendly matches. I’m thinking maybe of one more player.

“It’s not closed yet. We will be finished. I will tell you once it’s done. We have Koscielny who is injured and five more captains.

“Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut – and I will continue to search for another one or two.”

The Gunners kick off their Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City on August 12.

Arsenal’s captains over the years

Whoever ends up captaining Arsenal this season has some sizeable boots to fill, as the north London outfit have boasted some truly great skippers over the years who have led the Gunners to many trophies.

‘Mr Arsenal’ himself Tony Adams is perhaps the Gunners’ most memorable captain. The lanky centre-back cut an imperious figure across Arsenal’s back line and was one of the key players to help revive the club in the late 1990s. With the arrival of Arsene Wenger in 1996 Adams captained an Arsenal side that won two doubles in four years.

Living up to Adams’ legacy looked like an almost impossible task, but one player just about managed it – his successor Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman inherited Adam’s role as captain in 2002, becoming the first foreign player to skipper the club. Vieira would go on to lead the Gunners through an unbeaten campaign in what has become known as the Invincibles side of the 2003/04 season.

Arsenal have had some less inspiring captains along the way, but if it’s only one player who has the honour or multiple players this season, they will be stepping into the shoes of giants.

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