Arsenal captaincy: Who should be the Gunners' next skipper?

Granit Xhaka's refusal to take the captain's armband in Arsenal (opens in new tab)'s 2-1 win against Brentford (opens in new tab) has prompted speculation over who the club's next skipper might be.

With current skipper Alexandre Lacazette - who took over from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - looking set to leave the Emirates this summer and Xhaka's apparent reluctance to take on the role on Saturday, the captaincy may well change hands (or arms) again in the near future.

But who might get the honour? We offer some suggestions...

Kieran Tierney

Kieran Tierney took the armband as Alexandre Lacazette was substituted off at the weekend, and the Scot appears to be the favourite to take it permanently.

And Tierney appears to have the backing of former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, who has described the left-back as (opens in new tab) "the standout player who could fulfil that role".

The 24-year-old captained Celtic (opens in new tab) in his last two seasons with the Scottish giants - and there's something just right about a player with their shirt tucked in leading the side, isn't there?

Aaron Ramsdale

What if Arsenal were to take after arch-rivals Tottenham (opens in new tab) and name their goalkeeper as captain?

Aaron Ramsdale only signed for the Gunners last summer, but it didn't take him long to make the number one spot his own - and he has earned plenty of plaudits for his attitude and passion.

He's embraced one big responsibility and couldn't have looked more in his element as he joined in with 'a certain chant' (opens in new tab) at Leicester (opens in new tab) in October. How about giving him arguably an ever bigger one, even if he does only turn 24 in May?

Bukayo Saka

Never mind 24; perhaps a 20-year-old could be in the frame for the job.

It's hard to believe that Bukayo Saka is still that young, given that it feels like the academy-produced winger has been around forever.

But that feeling partly stems from the great maturity he has shown. Look no further than his willingness to step up and take a penalty for England in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.