Cesc Fabregas is the natural successor to William Gallas as Arsenal captain and the time is right for the Spaniard to take the club into a new era.

The 21-year-old has the club coursing through his veins and it will make him a better player, just as it did when Patrick Vieira took the armband in 2002.

Having been given the extra responsibility, Vieira showed his leadership by demanding the ball in midfield, driving the team forward and providing the heartbeat of the side.

Off the field, he was a very caring and supportive player which was something people never realised.

Fabregas can be the same. I had the pleasure of working with him a few years ago and he is simply a joy to behold. He is wonderfully enthusiastic and showed his versatility by leaving his parents and his life in Spain as a teenager, moving to London and embracing English culture wholeheartedly.

What struck me most in training with him was a simplicity in his play more pronounced than I had ever seen before in a young player. It's the same in his personal life - Fabregas likes to keep a low-profile, make things simple and turns a blind eye to the distractions on offer to someone of his stature within the game.

He never hides away in matches and while Tony Adams was a more visual leader - the odd rallying cry and a demeanour always looking to challenge people - Fabregas can be an inspirational figure with his ability, regardless of his age.

Critics of the appointment are too caught up in the concept of youth - he has played more than 200 games for Arsenal and that is the most relevant statistic.

The 'youngster' has played in a Champions League Final and won Euro 2008 with Spain and it is these experiences that can form the basis of his ability to revitalise the side.

Arsenal have a family ethos and Fabregas is the perfect template off the production line - he has lived and breathed the club and learned from some of the great players who have been there in recent years.

There is no pleasure to be gained in what has happened to Gallas but I think the whole decline in his authority can be traced back to that centre-circle, sit-down protest over a penalty during the match against Birmingham last February.

This act, plus his petulance at the final whistle does not fit the profile of a leader of men. I believe that at that time, Gallas was playing extremely well and his leadership was not in question either in the media or the dressing room.

But publicly, the Arsenal captaincy is an ambassadorial role - you represent the club at all times. People remember you for incidents such as the one at Birmingham and that makes it extremely difficult to come back from.

Although it is perhaps time to draw a line under an era that ended somewhat turbulently, respect must be paid to him. I don't think Gallas was a bad captain - he perhaps simply took the role too much to heart and was too intense in the issues surrounding it.

But he must show his leadership qualities even in the absence of the armband.

Every team I have ever been involved in has had a group of leaders at its core, but Fabregas (right) is now the figurehead and given the right support in the dressing room, he can steer the club through what is a difficult period.

Even though results have been mixed of late, the Gunners can qualify from Champions League Group G with a win tonight and that is a notable positive. For all their travails in the Premier League this season, Arsenal have so far looked good in Europe and that is because they have committed to moving the ball quickly through midfield in their traditional style.

They didn't use the ball well in the 0-0 draw against Fenerbahce or the defeat at Manchester City, so speed of distribution against a side that will hit on the counter attack will be the key to victory.

The fans need to show their support for a creative footballing ideology - now with Fabregas at the helm alongside Arsene Wenger - that I believe is on the way to producing success, even if there are a few hiccups along the way.