Arsenal captaincy situation will be resolved in summer, says Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s protracted captaincy situation will be resolved once and for all in the summer, with their chase for a top-four place overriding all other considerations.

Alexandre Lacazette has taken the armband since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has since joined Barcelona, was relieved of the role in December. Arsenal have thrived since but the measure was intended to be short term, particularly as Lacazette’s contract ends in June and a new deal is yet to be agreed. Arteta wants to put the issue on the backburner until their schedule is less packed.

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“There will be a thorough process in the summer, when we have time, when we have no competitions,” he said. “We will do it the right way, the way I want to do it.”

Rob Holding is second in line to Lacazette but is not a regular, so Kieran Tierney was briefly captain after the striker was substituted against Brentford on Saturday.

“It’s not easy, I understand it’s confusing,” Arteta said. “But you have to understand we have a lot of issues – and more captaincy issues, I guarantee, is not what we need.”

Asked whether onlookers make too much of the captaincy, Arteta replied: “I think you do.”

He would rather focus on a race for the Champions League spots whose latest stage comes against Wolves at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday. The pair sit sixth and seventh in the Premier League table, although Arsenal have a game in hand and are two points clear of Bruno Lage’s side. They also won 1-0 at Molineux this month and, with fourth place comfortably in their sights given Manchester United are four points ahead but having played three games more, see an opportunity to