Arsenal squad vote on who should be captain as five players in leadership group emerge

Mikel Arteta's squad contains so many leaders that Arsenal voted on who should wear the captain's armband. After a successful summer spending spree, Arteta has assembled the most formidable squad of his tenure.

With three consecutive Premier League runner-up finishes under their belt, this season presents one of the best opportunities for the Gunners to clinch the league title since the 'Invincibles' campaign of 2003/04 and certainly the best during Arteta's reign.

The strong Gunners squad, bolstered by a £250million investment in new signings, is anchored by five key players. The Mirror has reported that the club's core leadership group consists of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Mikel Merino.

• Alan Shearer and Paul Merson agree on Arsenal vs Crystal Palace score prediction
• Arsenal flop cost £1m a goal but blames boss for ‘forgetting me overnight’

However, only one can officially wear the captain's armband. That honour has been bestowed upon Odegaard following a vote by the Arsenal players and staff.

Ahead of the new season, Arteta disclosed that Odegaard was the overwhelming choice among his teammates, a testament to the Norwegian's influence within the club.

"By a mile, by a big, big 100 marks, everybody chose the same person, which is Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have, how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win," the Arsenal boss said. "So, I mean, there's no question about that.

"Martin doesn't need to open his mouth and everybody says 'he's my captain, I want him to represent, I trust him 100 per cent, he's the guy I want to have next to me."

Arsenal are currently grappling with the absence of their skipper, who is recovering from a knee injury that could sideline him until after the forthcoming international break. This comes in addition to several other crucial players being unavailable for Sunday's home match against Crystal Palace.

Despite his tender age of 24, Saka, who captained the team at Fulham last weekend, has amassed considerable experience at both club and international level. He is seen as a potential future captain. Rice is another player who leads by example and would be an automatic choice for captaincy at most other clubs.

Gabriel Magalhaes, who is a doubt to face Palace, is a mainstay in defence and has already worn the captain's armband on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, Merino commands great respect within the squad, despite not being guaranteed a place in the starting line-up.

Beyond the main leadership group, Arteta can also rely on seasoned professionals such as William Saliba, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, David Raya, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus and Riccardo Calafiori.

Arsenal have been known to falter under pressure during the final stages of the season. However, if the Gunners fail to deliver once again, it will not be down to a lack of leadership.