Mikel Arteta publicly backed one player to become Arsenal captain, now he’s agreed to join another club

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Mikel Arteta has been at the helm at Arsenal for over five years.

When the Spaniard first took charge of the club, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the captain. The Gabon international got the armband after Granit Xhaka was stripped of that role by Unai Emery.

In December 2021, Aubameyang was removed as the skipper due to disciplinary issues and Alexandre Lacazette stepped in for him until the end of the season.

Once the Frenchman left, Martin Odegaard was named Arsenal’s captain, and there has been no change on that front since.

However, there is a player who Arteta considered as a future Gunners skipper a few years ago, but nothing has come of that.

What Mikel Arteta once said about Kieran Tierney becoming Arsenal captain

Kieran Tierney has been an Arsenal player since the summer of 2019.

The Scotland international joined the Gunners from Celtic and became a fan favourite very quickly. He is adored by Arsenal supporters even to this day.

However, Tierney slowly fell down the pecking order under Arteta, and he is by no means a regular in the squad right now.

That is a shame, especially as Arteta had huge hopes for him in his first two years as the manager of Arsenal. He even viewed the Scot as a future captain.

Back in January 2021, Arteta told TNT Sports: “I think he can be (a future captain), because he has the respect and the admiration of every member of the staff and every player.

“It’s just the way he is, he does it in a natural way. He’s a shy boy but I think he represents all of the values we want to install and that are in the DNA of this club.

“He came here and it took him a while, he had a really bad injury… but he’s a natural leader. You see how he behaves on that pitch, and when he talks he says the right thing and it’s exactly what we’re looking for.”

Tierney signs contract to join another club

Tierney was heavily linked with a move away from Arsenal in the winter window, but nothing materialised in the end.

The Scot will stay at the Emirates until the end of his contract in July, but his next club has already been decided.

In their interim financial report, Celtic confirmed that Tierney has signed a pre-contract agreement to rejoin them at the end of this season.

It will be a shame to see Tierney go without fulfilling his potential at Arsenal, but we’re sure he will become a star again in Scotland.