‘Found wanting’: Arsenal verdict delivered by pundit in Aubameyang or Lacazette captaincy debate

Add as preferred source on Google

Criticism of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues to grow, and now Darren Bent has suggested he may no longer be the club’s best choice for the captaincy.

The Gabonese international missed Sunday’s match against Fulham at the Emirates, and Hector Bellerin was handed the captain’s armband.

Former Tottenham striker Bent, however, believes Alexandre Lacazette is the right candidate to lead the Gunners.

The Frenchman scored doubles in the 3-0 win over Sheffield United and 4-0 Europa League victory over Slavia Prague, and Bent believes he exhibits greater leadership qualities than Aubameyang during times of adversity.

The 31-year-old has failed to hit the heights of previous seasons this time around, scoring nine times in 25 Premier League appearances, and earlier this month Bent suggested Arsenal at times look better without him.

Embed from Getty Images

He’s now elaborated on that claim, telling talkSPORT, he said: “Listen, if they’re both on top form we know that Aubameyang is better than Lacazette. Maybe not all-round game, because Lacazette’s very good with his back to goal, but I think he for me certainly is a leader.

“I think you could look up to Lacazette a lot more than you can Aubemyang, because Aubameyang’s a very good captain when things going really well, he’s playing very well, the ball’s going in the back of the net.

“He leads by example, because he is the best player. You look at the run they had at the back end of last season, with the semi-final and the final, he was brilliant, and people were saying ‘What a captain he is’.

“But when times are tough, I think he’s been found wanting.

Embed from Getty Images

“At times, when he’s playing in the Arsenal team but he’s not playing as well as he should be, it’s like Arsenal playing with 10 men. And I think they look unbalanced at times.

“I think Ray Parlour might have said it, that when Aubameyang’s in the team they do look unbalanced.

“When you’ve got Lacazette as a focal point, who could hold the ball up, he can bring others into play, and you’ve got that kind of young, youthfulness around him, in Saka, Smith Rowe, even Pepe was brilliant last time, all moving around and interchanging, Arsenal look a lot more fluid and there’s a lot more balance playing that way.

“So I don’t think it’s been a big miss him (Aubameyang) not playing.”

Arsenal were moments away from defeat against Fulham on Sunday afternoon, but Eddie Nketiah scored seven minutes into injury time to ensure it finished 1-1.