Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Alexandre Lacazette is Arsenal’s current captain, following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy, Alexandre Lacazette took over the role on a default basis, having previously been the vice-captain at the club.
Given that Aubameyang has since left the club permanently, there was an opportunity for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to confirm his permanent captaincy successor.
It seems as if the Arsenal boss isn’t planning any radical changes just yet.
When asked about the role in his pre-Wolves press conference, Arteta responded: “Laca is the captain at the moment, yes.”
Lacazette’s captaincy is obviously a little contentious at the moment due to his expiring contract.
But he’s one of the older and more experienced members of the squad, with a clean disciplinary track record and plenty of appearances wearing the armband already.
Football.London report that Lacazette is expected to leave Arsenal when his contract with the club comes to an end this summer, and he’s set to hold talks over a return to former club Lyon.
As his contract is running down, Lacazette is free to speak to Lyon over a pre-contract agreement without Arsenal’s permission. He’s in discussions with several teams, but Lyon are the frontrunners.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas recently told the media they intend to make a move for Lacazette this summer.
“We’ll do our best to sign Alexandre Lacazette in June,” Aulas said.
Lyon director Vincent Ponsot added: “We’ve seen the maturity that he’s acquired. We’ve always remained in contact with him. But bringing in big players is always complicated.”
L’Equipe previously reported that Lyon tried in vain to pry Lacazette away from Arsenal in January, and they’ll attempt to lure him back again in the coming months.
Lacazette has always maintained a strong bond with his old club. As a result, the Lyon hierarchy have made contact with his entourage in recent weeks over a potential transfer.
On the other hand, the same outlet claimed Arsenal could still offer Lacazette a short-term contract extension of one or two years in the coming weeks.