Darren Bent has surprisingly named goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale as his preferred choice to be named the new Arsenal captain.
Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy after the latest of three disciplinary breaches last week saw him split the dressing room and rile boss Mikel Arteta.
The Gabon star was axed from the Gunners squad that recorded a convincing 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday after reporting back for club duty late from an approved trip abroad last week.
But when asked who should replace Aubameyang - who will also miss Wednesday's match against West Ham - ex-striker Bent believes goalkeeper Ramsdale would be the ideal candidate.
The England shot stopper only joined in the summer but has impressed with a number of key performances, and Bent believes left-back Kieran Tierney's injury record gives the ex-Sheffield United goalkeeper the edge.
When asked on talkSPORT who should replace Aubameyamg, Bent said: 'I'd probably say Ramsdale.
'If Tierney could guarantee that he's going to play every single week, then yeah, but other than him it's got to be Ramsdale as he's the only player who's going to play every single week.'
However, former Arsenal left-back Nigel Winterburn believes England internationals Ben White - another summer signing - and Bukayo Saka, as well as centre-back Gabriel should also be in the running.
Winterburn told The Metro: 'I would think that at this moment in time [Kieran] Tierney would be put forward, Gabriel could be put forward, Ben White and I've heard the mention of [Aaron] Ramsdale.
'Another I would throw into the hat would be [Bukayo] Saka because he's been the one standout player in this period of time when Arsenal have been trying to progress and close the gap on the top four.
'He's been the stand out player, so I think what it will ultimately come down to is Mikel Arteta wanting someone that is vocal and leads by example by on and off the pitch.'
It leaves Arteta with a massive headache for the rest of the season, though he insists he will revert to a leadership group consisting of the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka, himself stripped of the captaincy for Aubameyang in 2019.
'We did it both through the club and having a personal conversation with the player,' the Spaniard said on Tuesday about how he broke the news to Aubameyang. 'He had to accept the decision.
'We have the leadership group, within that we have different players we have nominated to be captain. We have Laca and Granit who have been captain recently.
'It's an unpleasant situation. That leadership group is strong and we will continue like that. We will try to educate them and get feedback at the right time.'
Arsenal said in a statement on Tuesday: 'Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday's match against West Ham United.
'We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow's match.'
