Arsenal manager Unai Emery has named his captains for the new season. Per Mertesacker relinquished his captaincy duties when he retired at the end of last season, and in his place we’ll have five leaders – headed up by Laurent Koscielny.
“The captain of this group is Laurent Koscielny, who is injured at the moment,” said Unai Emery.
“After Laurent, our other captains are Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka.
“I want leaders in the team, every player at every time to have the capacity to show leadership, but these are the five players who have a possibility to be the captain.”
On Sunday, Unai Emery takes charge of his first competitive game since being appointed in May. And it doesn’t get much more competitive than the champions, Manchester City.
Emery’s decision to appoint five captains is all part of his desire to change the way Arsenal work after he succeeded Wenger in the summer.
“It’s a new way, a new process,” he said. “The past is very important for this club with the people who were working here.
“But we are starting a new way, a new process with the same players and the new players, the new coaches. Keeping a lot of the good ideas they were working on here, and also bringing a new time to improve in the tactical things under my idea to transmit to the players my spirit and, in this way, the energy in the moment we need that.”
Emery, meanwhile, has confirmed that forward Danny Welbeck will stay at Arsenal, despite the European transfer window remaining open.
“We only have three players: Carl Jenkinson, David Ospina and Joel Campbell, with the possibility to leave,” he said. “But the other players are with us.”