Kieran Tierney is the ‘obvious’ candidate to be Arsenal’s next captain, according to Ally McCoist.
The Gunners have been without a permanent skipper since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had the armband taken off him after returning late from a sanctioned trip to France, with the delay reportedly causing problems for the club’s Covid protocols.
Alexandre Lacazette was appointed captain until the end of the season, but his contract with the north London club expires in June; and Juventus are the latest side rumoured to be interested in acquiring his talents.
The Frenchman’s departure would leave Gunners boss Mikel Arteta looking for yet another skipper, and according to McCoist Tierney is the standout choice to replace Lacazette.
The former Rangers striker also likened Tierney to Liverpool’s Andy Robertson in terms of their attitude on the pitch and desire to succeed.
“I saw it at Celtic and how the lad [Tierney] developed there,” McCoist told the Sun.
“Even then, I knew he would be a leader. Terrific.
“The obvious comparison is to someone like Liverpool’s Andy Robertson. The two of them are similar in their love and respect for the game, their desire to get to the top.
“I bet those two get up every morning and pinch themselves because they cannot believe what they are doing for a living. Like Robertson, I see Tierney and undoubtedly there is a leader there.
“A lot of my mates at talkSPORT – Laura Woods, Darren Bent and Ray Parlour – all see Tierney as a future Arsenal captain.
“Captains show leadership, camaraderie, spirit and galvanise their team. Tierney is still young and inexperienced in that capacity.
“But he will grow into that. You look at him, he is mature, he speaks well, his off-the-field interviews are very good. For me, he is obvious captain material.”
