Arsenal could be about to land a major new signing who would become a candidate for the captain's armband.
The Gunners have been without a permanent captain since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the club in January. Since then, Alexandre Lacazette has taken the armband, with Kieran Tierney wearing it in his absence. Granit Xhaka is third in command.
Incredibly, all three have been linked with exits this summer. The most likely to leave though – Lacazette – would most likely trigger either a vote for a new captain or manager Mikel Arteta giving the responsibility to a chosen lieutenant.
But the new skipper could perhaps be a new face. Sky Sports have reported that the north Londoners are chasing Ruben Neves from fellow Europe chasers Wolverhampton Wanderers – and that the Portuguese controller could cost as much as £60m.
Not only would Neves offer strength in the middle of the pitch for the Gunners and a superb passing range, the 25-year-old is considered a leader. Arsenal have been criticised for their lack of leadership in the past and with the captaincy having becoming cursed with successive bad appointments, Arteta may wish to grant the skippership to an arrival rather than burden it on one of his young stars.
Arsenal reportedly pursued a move for Neves last season as a potential replacement for Granit Xhaka, who was bound for Roma until the Swiss deep-lying midfielder signed a new contract.
Ruben Neves is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt.
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Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has claimed that Mikel Arteta's success is no surprise to him and Arteta himself has defended his team's celebrations in the wake of criticism. Nacho Monreal, meanwhile, recently discussed Mesut Ozil's exit from the club with FFT.
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