Former Arsenal forward Charlie Nicholas says there is one outstanding candidate if Granit Xhaka is stripped of the captaincy by manager Unai Emery.

The Swiss international’s future at the Emirates is up in the air following the incident against Crystal Palace on Sunday, and Nicholas doesn’t think there is a way back for him at the club. He believes that David Luiz should take the armband due to his experience and leadership qualities:

“As it stands right now it could be anybody but I’d rather they just said it’s going to be David Luiz. We’ve brought him in, he’s won the title and he’s got more experience than most. You just put him in charge of it and then the manager takes responsibility for that, and off you go. It’s a start.”

Considering Luiz only joined from Chelsea in August, it would be a surprise if the Brazilian were to be named the new captain, but, as Nicholas mentions, he has won league titles and does command the respect of his teammates.

He isn’t one of the five players in Emery’s leadership group, though. Xhaka, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil are Emery’s captains, and out of those, it would appear Aubameyang would be the favourite to take up the mantle.