Sokratis: Arsenal Captaincy Not 'Very Important' After Granit Xhaka Loses Role

Sokratis Papastathopoulos has revealed he puts little stock in captaincy after Arsenal manager Unai Emery stripped team-mate Granit Xhaka of the armband and handed it to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Emery confirmed the change on Tuesday, though Aubameyang had led out the side as captain for the first time in Saturday's Premier League draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Per Sky Sports' Dan Sansom, Sokratis said: "The captaincy or who has this on the pitch, I don't think it's very important. It's important that all the team is good in the dressing room. We are like a family. In the end who brings the pitch the captaincy is the last thing."

On whether Aubameyang is a leader, he added: "I don't know. I think it's the first time he is a captain. For me, it's more important that Auba first has to score. He has to do his work.

Following Laurent Koscielny's departure in the summer, Xhaka was picked as the first of five captains ahead of Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil.

The Switzerland international wasn't picked until late September and only after Emery had held a vote in the dressing room, but he had already been wearing the armband from the start of the season.

Arsenal supporters have been unhappy with the 27-year-old's form in recent months, and things came to a head when they jeered him off during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October:

Xhaka explained in a statement that his reaction to the crowd came after abuse and threats made to him and his family:

The Gunners have played three matches since, in the Carabao Cup, the Premier League and the UEFA Europa League, and Xhaka has not made the matchday squad for any of them. Nick Ames of the Guardian questioned the decision not to give him a run-out in the latter competition on Wednesday:

Xhaka's form wasn't good enough to justify his continued selection in the Premier League, but he can still be an asset as a squad player, and the longer Emery leaves him out, the more pressure will be on him if he does return.

As for the captaincy, Bellerin might have been a better long-term choice than Aubameyang. The 24-year-old has spent his entire senior career at the Emirates Stadium, save for a brief loan spell with Watford, and has shown himself to be a leader for the Gunners.

However, armband or not, there's nothing stopping him from continuing to serve that role in the team.