Arsene Wenger is confident Arsenal will survive the loss of Robin Van Persie and has tipped Arsenal's English core, which includes Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to lead the club forward.
Van Persie signed for Manchester United after refusing to commit to a new deal, with Wenger, knowing the inevitability of the situation already buying cover in the form of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud. Santi Cazorla has also joined the Gunners, as Wenger looks to move on from the trophyless generation that saw the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Van Persie, show plenty of promise but, at the end of the day, fail to deliver when it came to the business end.
Wenger has shown his faith in Wilshere, who has been out for over a year due to injury, by handing the talented midfielder the No 10 shirt left vacant due to Van Persie's departure, with Cazorla taking Wilshere's No 19 shirt.
"We lose great players but I want to show that we have great players at the club," the legendary Arsenal manager said. "We have young players, English players like Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wilshere.
"We have fantastic potential here and when everyone is fit we will see that.
"I feel Jack will be one of the leaders of this club and by giving him the No 10 shirt I want to show I am confident he will be the one who will lead the team one day.
"I believe that he is at the stage where he needs something at the moment. At his age after one year out, that is not easy to take.
"Every day he comes in at eight o'clock in the morning and works out but didn't get anywhere. I want to show him that I believe in him and that he will come back quickly."
Wenger also confirmed Arsenal are "trying to extend" the deal for Theo Walcott, who also has only one year left on his contract, but reiterated the club's policy of not breaking the bank for one player.
"We live in the economic reality which other clubs do not," Wenger said. "There are some things we cannot afford to do. It is as simple as that.
"How much do you want to pay, £250,000 a week? £300,000? We are here to make the players as rich as possible but also to respect our balance sheet.
"Honestly, I think it is a short-term problem. You cannot imagine the world will go on just splashing money out without any return.
"When you have lost the standard of living for normal people and the football world always gets higher and higher, that cannot last because people will not accept it.
"(Financial Fair Play) will make a big difference, how quickly I cannot answer because I am not responsible for putting it in place."
Wenger said he had nothing against Van Persie's decision to leave the club and admitted the Dutchman had acted professionally.
"I am not a specialist on time healing but there will be a frustration (among some fans) of course," the Frenchman said. "He has played for us for eight years, you have to respect what he has done for our club, what he did last year.
"This is a situation that is a completely brutal reality of professional sport. Robin was captain of the team last year and I give him credit until the last minute of the whole season (because) he fought like mad.
"For me that is to be professional. He comes in afterwards and wants to go? I don't like it. But that is being professional again. But being professional until the last minute of his stay at the club.
"He gave 100 per cent and last year he kept us (up) there -- it is a miracle we finished third. A big part of the miracle is down to him and you have to give him credit for that.
"He is a boy, born in Holland. We have taken him from Holland and we have to accept that when a player is professional, he can move again."
Meanwhile, Thomas Vermaelen expressed his happiness at being named the new captain of Arsenal. "It makes me really happy and proud to be Arsenal captain -- it's a real honour," the Belgian said in his programme notes for Saturday's match with Sunderland.
"I won't change the way I am, though. The boss makes you captain because of the way you are, so I won't change how I am in the dressing room or outside. I want to lead by example, and do as well as I can on the pitch.
"Maybe I am not much of a talker away from the pitch, but I want to lead the team through the way I play."
