• Swiss midfielder tops poll and gets position permanently• Emery defends player after recent criticism from fansGranit Xhaka will captain
Arsenal for the rest of this season after winning a vote held by the squad to determine who should wear the armband, but he has been challenged by Unai Emery to battle negative perceptions about his suitability for the role and his place in the team.
The Swiss midfielder will head a five-strong leadership group after the poll, necessitated by the departures of Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal, after meeting a number of criteria Emery had laid down for his new captain. In descending order, his deputies will be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Héctor Bellerín, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Özil.