Mikel Arteta’s return to the Emirates will show Arsenal what they’re missing. It’s become a known fact that Arsene Wenger lacks leaders at his club – but, over the past few years, they’ve barely ever had their club captain on the pitch.
This season, Per Mertesacker has not yet made a single appearance. His predecessor, Mikel Arteta, managed just six league starts in his two years as club captain, while before that, then-skipper Thomas Vermaelen started only seven times in his final campaign before suffering a disastrous injury.
It means that, in Arsenal’s last 141 league games, their captain has started only 13 times. Continue reading