New Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has confirmed that midfielder Stilian Petrov will remain as a club captain for now, although he has confirmed that he will be looking to appoint a new captain to represent the club on the pitch. Stilian Petrov was recently diagnosed with leukaemia, which means that he is set to miss a considerable portion of the next season. Despite this, Paul Lambert has decided to offer the position of being the club captain to the former Celtic midfielder. The 32-year-old Bulgarian international has been a huge influence on Aston Villa in recent seasons, and Paul Lambert hopes that it will continue even after his arrival.
Aston Villa recently managed to bring in former Norwich city manager Paul Lambert amidst a lot of fury from the Cannaries. The former Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish was using striker Gabriel Agbonlahor as the captain on the pitch for the club. However, it is thought that Paul Lambert will be looking to make a defender or the goalkeeper as the captain. Lambert has also revealed that the club will be undergoing a major overhaul when it comes to the scouting system. Aston Villa have been on a constant downhill in the last couple of seasons, which Lambert will be hoping to avoid this season.
“Stiliyan is still club skipper, no doubt. He’s a huge influence on the club. I just need to look for a team captain. He’s such a strong lad and a terrific guy. It makes you sick, actually, when you have played with someone, seen them in their prime and are close to them, then you know he has an illness like that. Hopefully he’ll be OK and be here,” said Lambert when speaking after his official appointment on the official website of Aston Villa.