David Luiz should be the captain of Arsenal, Paul Merson said

David Luiz has been heavily criticized for his seeming lack of defensive skills after transferring from Chelsea to Arsenal. The Brazilian has been one of the major flaws of the Gunner’s defense, which is a problem since he was brought into the team to address that very weakness.

Despite criticisms, however, some are holding out hope that David Luiz will one day find his groove. But Paul Merson is taking things to a whole different level.

The former Arsenal star said that head coach Unai Emery should appoint David Luiz as the captain of his club, citing three reasons behind his reasoning. Merson explains that the 32-year-old is the best option for the position due to his defensive role; him being a regular starter, and Luiz’s history of being a “serial winner,” Daily Star reported.

David Luiz is a serial winner

“David Luiz has got to be captain, he's a serial winner. People have a go at him because one week he'll be a 2/10 and the next a 9/10, but he's going to play every week.”

But again, David Luiz has yet to redeem himself in the eyes of the fans as he still hasn’t shown that he’s a great fit for the Gunners. In his short stint with Arsenal, the Brazilian has already given up two spot-kicks to the opposition. For comparison, he only had two spot-kicks when he played 160 games with Chelsea.

That is a huge difference and a clear sign that David Luiz is still struggling. Indeed, Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding are better defensive options for Arsenal as can be observed when the club demolished Nottingham Forest in a 5-0 decisive victory.

David Luiz doesn’t have leadership skills

Just last week, David Luiz was slammed by Tony Cascarino of The Times after he and Sokratis Papastathopoulos made a massive blunder that resulted in Watford catching up to Arsenal’s 2-0 lead. Cascarino said that Arsenal needs someone who can keep their composure when faced with tremendous pressure. They also need a leader that would remain stalwart even if the team is lagging behind.

David Luiz doesn’t embody any of those two skills, Cascarino said. But Merson does have a point when he said that Luiz isn’t hiding when he commits a mistake. He simply refuses to give up and tries his best to redeem himself, something that has yet to happen.

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