Despite a fairly poor 2017/18 season, Arsenal fans have good reason to be optimistic ahead of the new campaign.
The club have appointed the highly-rated Unai Emery to replace Arsene Wenger at the helm as the club looks to secure a spot back in the top four of the Premier League.
One of the first things Emery will need to do is appoint a new club captain following Per Mertesacker’s retirement from the game.
Arsenal’s Premier League club captains rated and slated
They will be walking in the footsteps of some of the most influential figures in the club’s history with Frank McLintock, Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira three of the names that spring to mind.
And given the mixed bag for Arsenal skippers in the Premier League era, the new Gunners boss will be determined to get this appointment right.
But what options could Emery pursue?
Below you can see who could become Arsenal’s tenth captain in the Premier League era.
The keeper certainly has a wealth of experience and would provide the calm head needed to captain a team.
However, at the age of 36 and off the back of a pretty hit-and-miss season, Arsenal fans may think a more appropriate question should look at whether Cech should remain at the club or not rather than whether he should become the new captain.
Koscielny would be an obvious choice to take on the captaincy full-time.
The centre-back has led the Gunners on the field numerous times and appears to have the respect in the dressing room and amongst most supporters.
However, the Frenchman is currently nursing an Achilles injury and is not expected to recover in time for the start of the season which could work against him.
Monreal would also be a decent candidate to be the new club captain.
Although he plays as a left-back which is not the traditional position for a captain, there is no denying his commitment to Arsenal’s cause.
The Spaniard has scored the odd crucial goal for the Gunners including an equaliser in their FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City in 2017 en route to winning the competition.
Stephan Lichtsteiner
He’s not an Arsenal player yet but it’s looking likely Lichtsteiner will sign for Emery’s side sooner or later.
Although he’s 34 years old, Lichtsteiner could be an option to lead the team out in the 2018/19 season and why not? He has experience with captaining the Swiss national team and he’s a proven winner through his days at Juventus and has a tremendous work ethic.
Arsenal is a club requiring a change in culture and he is the ideal player to lead that change.
Wilshere has been with Arsenal since he was a child and is a stand out candidate to take the armband.
There is no doubting the England international’s quality and commitment to the club, but whether it would be wise to let Wilshere be the club captain is another question as he is susceptible to lengthy injury lay-offs.
Ramsey is a player with huge talent but it remains to be seen if he can take a game by the scruff of the neck consistently.
The midfielder appears to be held in high regard by Emery which makes him a contender to become the new skipper and ex-Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell believes the Welshman should be the new captain.
Who would you give the armband to?