KEY POINTS

  • Michael Thomas believes that Dominic Calvert-Lewin should replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
  • Aubameyang has been put on the sidelines after an incident with the club prior to facing Southampton
  • Thomas suggests that Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard or Ben White should inherit the captain's armband

Iconic Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas suggested that Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be the man to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

“Calvert-Lewin is a name that has regularly popped up, and with his Premier League experience and all-around attributes, it makes sense. He [Dominic Calvert-Lewin] has been out for a while now, however, and this could affect how he is coming back,” Thomas told Caught Offside in an exclusive interview.

Arsenal and Aubameyang have been on the outs with each other in recent weeks.

Aubameyang turned up late to England after a midweek trip to France in order to bring his mother back to London ahead of Arsenal’s subsequent 3-0 victory over Southampton a few weeks ago.

Arsenal deemed the violation to be detrimental to the team and stripped him of his captain’s armband while also suspending him for the Southampton match.

The phenomenal striker has not been seen since the incident, and the club has been operating without a clear-cut captain for the foreseeable future.

In this regard, Thomas also shared that he thinks that if Arsenal were not looking to upgrade in the January transfer window, the club has three options: Gabriel Magalhaes, 23-year-old Martin Odegaard, and summer-signee Ben White.

The Brazilian has shown flashes of leadership potential, Odegaard has experience in being a captain with Norway's national team, and White has brought a new identity to a middling team that was in need of a defined character.

It was reported last week that Aubameyang is training by his lonesome to stay in match shape, to which The Athletic noted that it was a “club decision” to put the Gabonese standout on the shelf for the time being.

With the winter transfer window set to open in just a few weeks, Thomas acknowledged that his former club may have a hard time finding some high-caliber talent that would join them.

“January is always a hard window to get top quality players so it will be interesting to see what the club has identified as key areas of improvement,” he stated.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored six Premier League goals for Everton this season
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored six Premier League goals for Everton this season POOL / Peter Byrne