Fabregas named as new Arsenal captain

(CNN) -- Cesc Fabregas has been named as the new captain of English Premier League side Arsenal on the eve of Tuesday's Champions League clash against Dynamo Kiev

The 21-year-old Spanish midfield star replaces William Gallas, who was stripped of the captaincy last week after publicly questioning the attitude of his team-mates.

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia skippered the side for the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday, a match which Gallas missed following his outburst.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger declined to say why he had taken the captaincy away from the 31-year-old Galllas, but confirmed it was a permanent switch.

"I don't think I have specially to explain why I make the decisions," Wenger said on Monday. "William is a player that I rate and a man that I rate as well. I have a big respect for him.

"He was working as a captain and was in a very difficult media environment. He was under big pressure from the press and at some stage you do not want that (outside) pressure to affect him and the team.

"He's a player who's committed to the club. I think he will be stronger as a player because he took all the problems of the team to his heart."

Asked why he had given the captaincy to 21-year-old Fabregas, Wenger again declined to give a reason.

"I believe that for me the captain is the voice of the club towards the outside and is one of the leaders of the team," he said.