The role of the captain is waning with more managers emphasising the need for a strong collective in modern times.
Take Brentford for example who have refused to name an official club skipper this season, instead leaving it up to the players to decide amongst themselves on every match day.
Arsenal haven’t had much luck with their official club captains in recent seasons, with Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker plagued by various injuries.
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Taking his timeGetty - Contributor
And so far new boss Unai Emery has resisted the temptation to single out a player for the armband while Laurent Koscielny is out injured for so long.
Arsenal fans all have their their various theories, but many believe a moment in their pre-season victory over Lazio may have identified a worthy candidate.
After Reiss Nelson opened the scoring, Granit Xhaka went over to celebrate with the young Gunner.
But instead of solely lauding Nelson for his goal, the Swiss midfielder also animatedly offered advice to his team-mate about a previous situation that was spurned.
Xhaka might not have the coolest head on the field having picked up eight red cards – including two at Arsenal – already in his career.
But then again Roy Keane was hardly a teacher’s pet and he’s regarded as arguably the greatest captain in Premier League history.
Getty - Contributor Made of Granit[/caption]
The likes of Aaron Ramsey and Stephane Lichsteiner are also reportedly in the running, but Xhaka has certainly thrown his name into the ring.
Xhaka is priced at £2.5m on Dream Team this season – get him in your side now!
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