Arsenal must surely be looking for a new captain and while it will probably go to someone like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a bid to get him to sign a new contract, it should go to Hector Bellerin.

Hector Bellerin gets what it means to be an Arsenal player.

He’s been at the club longer than anyone else, takes an active interest in the fans and club’s history and is just a generally decent chap.

Add to that his massive social conscience and you’ve got a man who is dripping captain material.

I know he was injured when Emery named his five captains, but he wasn’t far away from a return. That shouldn’t be a problem. I just don’t understand how you look at him and Granit Xhaka and nod towards the Swiss.

Can you imagine Bellerin behaving like Xhaka did on Sunday, even if the entire ground turned on him?

But that’s the thing, it’s highly unlikely they would. Many were already against Xhaka before he got the armband, his card was already marked.

In Bellerin, we have a player who epitomises everything we cherish about Arsenal. His tweet on Monday – first player to respond at all after the Palace match, mind – confirms it.

We are all humans, we all have emotions, and sometimes it's not easy dealing with them. It's time to lift each other up, not to push each other away. We only win when we are together. #COYG pic.twitter.com/dkDI7M3xew

— Héctor Bellerín (@HectorBellerin) October 28, 2019