Arsene Wenger has hinted that Aaron Ramsey could become Arsenal captain in the future.

Arsenal’s current captain, Per Mertesacker, will be retiring at the end of the season and will need to pass the armband on to someone. Currently, Laurent Koscielny is the vice-captain at the club, while Petr Cech and Santi Cazorla tend to get the armband when the Frenchman isn’t available.

While the hierarchy at the club shows how Wenger values experience when it comes to leadership, he believes that Ramsey has the attributes to captain the club. When asked if Ramsey is an option to succeed Mertesacker, Wenger said: “Why not? It is all there,” reports the Evening Standard.

“He has maturity, has improved technically and is more conscious of the importance of his technical qualities. His game is clean. He has a huge physical power. The target for him will be to have 30 games.”

It would be just like Arsenal to make Ramsey captain before extending his contract. His deal expires in 2019, and I believe the club hope to get it sorted before it becomes a problem, as it has with so many players in the past.

In recent years, I’ve noticed Arsenal’s captains have not been first-team regulars.

Per Mertesacker picked up a long-term injury when he took over from Mikel Arteta last year. Arteta had injury problems during his captaincy, as did Thomas Vermaelen, the man he succeeded.

Ramsey does have muscle problems and a tendency to miss games. That makes him the perfect candidate.