Mikel Arteta is confident in the strength of the leadership group following his decision to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the club captaincy.
The captain's armband was taken away from him by Arteta on December 14 for a violation of the club's rules.
Arteta missed the victories over West Ham and Saints and will not be in attendance when the team play Elland Road on Saturday.
Please use a browser that has accessibility features.
The highlights from the win over West Ham are free to watch.
Arteta said that there is a list of captains for a reason because a player might not play or get injured.
You don't want that to happen overnight.
"That's why you have a leadership group because they are constantly making decisions, they are constantly communicating with myself, the coaching staff and the club in many other aspects, and they have to be used to be taking that responsibility and leadership."
Lacazette wore the captain's role during the last three matches of the season and could be in line to take on the role full-time.
Sky Sports News can confirm that, as requested by Arteta, the rest of the first team is currently training away from him. The forward is going to the Africa Cup of Nations to maintain his fitness.
Arteta was tight-lipped in his Friday press conference about the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and any plans to name a permanent captain.
While the boss did concede that everyone makes mistakes, he also said that the club had already shown prior leniency.
In recent matches, Lacazette has been the captain of the team.
Absolutely. I think we all make mistakes. Arteta believes that everyone has the right intentions even if they have made a mistake.
I think we have shown that on many occasions, for someone else is just a normal thing because they come from a different background, or culture, or education, and I am completely open to that.
