Get rid of it or keep it? Arsenal are deciding what to do with Aubameyang

The end of the winter transfer window is approaching and Arsenal still don’t know what to do with former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang. There have been many interested parties for the services of the Gabonese footballer. But the problem is the wages of the Gunners striker.

Aubameyang receives around £350,000 a week, so clubs are not too keen on concrete offers. Arsenal are already ready to sell the sin-binner, but at the same time they want to make money on the transfer. However, the Gunners also have to reckon that there is an option where nobody buys Aubemeyang.

After all, he has run into a few problems lately and not only at the club. First, Arsenal took away his captain’s armband last December. Subsequently, he was dropped from the team and Aubameyang did not even travel to the preparatory training camp in Dubai.

But the problems were far from over even after travelling to the Africa Cup of Nations. There, the striker was supposed to be the main driving force and captain of Gabon. But in the end, he didn’t play a minute. Officially, it was the result of a heart condition called covid-19.

But behind the scenes, there were reports that he and Mario Lemina, another key player for Gabon, were supposed to attend a party in Dubai just before the national team reunion and contracted the infection. This should have led the Gabonese Football Federation to drop both players from the squad and send them back to their clubs.

Despite these problems, there have been several suitors for the services of the 32-year-old striker. He himself would prefer to opt for a transfer to a top European team. That is why Juventus and Barcelona have become interested in Aubameyang. Both would prefer to acquire the striker on loan.

But clubs like: Marseille, Sevilla, Paris SG or AC Milan. Al Nassr and Al Hilal, the two biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia, are also interested in acquiring the Gunners striker on loan with a possible option.

However, there is one important question for Arsenal management. Wouldn’t it be better to get Aubameyang back in the team? The Gunners have been trying for a long time to bring in a quality striker. It was supposed to be Dusan Vlahovic, but he moved to Juventus. The Serbian footballer was supposed to be the main transfer target for the Emirates Stadium team.

There are only two days left in the transfer window. Arsenal have not brought in any reinforcements for the attack and, moreover, the Gabonese footballer is still in the disfavour of the club’s management.

One option for Mikel Arteta could be to reintegrate the Gabonese striker into the first team. The agreement in such a case should be mutual. Arteta must be well aware that he doesn’t have too many options at the striker position. Moreover, Aubameyang is still one of the best quality fighters he has in the current squad.

On the other hand, the player must realize that if he doesn’t find a new engagement by the end of January and come to an agreement with Arsenal management, he will be sidelined until the end of the season.

Hence: Aubameyang needs to play, he still has his immense qualities, he didn’t become captain for nothing back then. Arsenal are showing overly cautious tactics in the transfer market which will not pay off in the long run.

At the same time, it doesn’t want to worry about the health of Alexandre Lacazette until the end of the season, who if he drops out, Arteta doesn’t have an adequate replacement. Therefore, it would benefit both sides to resolve this situation calmly, bring Aubameyang back into the first team and bury the hatchet at least until the end of the season.

Sources