Arsenal players want Granit Xhaka to remain captain despite reaction to fans against Crystal Palace

Arsenal’s players want Granit Xhaka to retain the captain’s armband despite the furore surrounding his reaction to jeering supporters on Sunday.

The midfielder told fans to ‘f*** off’, cupped his hands to his ears when fans sarcastically cheered his substitution and then stripped off his shirt as he stormed off the pitch during Arsenal’s 2-2 with Crystal Palace.

Cheers turned to jeers, though, as he was so slow to leave the pitch with his side chasing a goal against the Eagles, and those boos only intensified when he responded angrily to fans.

The Times report his team-mates believe he should continue in his role, having voted for him to be given the armband in the first place.

Manager Unai Emery named five leaders last month, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hector Bellerin next in line. The group also includes Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil.

“I don’t agree with five captains and I don’t like this ‘vote for your captain scenario,’” former Arsenal player Nigel Winterburn told talkSPORT.

“The manager should pick the captain. I find having five captains very, very bizarre.

“This has all put Unai Emery in a very difficult situation and he’s got to deal with it quickly, he can’t let it linger on.”

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Xhaka appears to be held in very high regard by the squad, as pictures of Lucas Torreira appearing to be visibly upset by the atmosphere at the Emirates as his team-mate walked off.

There are also reports that the Switzerland international was visited at home by three senior Arsenal players, however, Xhaka is expected to be fined for his behaviour and Emery will no doubt be asked about the situation in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of the Carabao Cup game against Liverpool, which is live on talkSPORT 2.