Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been reported to be willing to offer himself to Barcelona as he looks forward to leaving the Emirates this month.
The 32-year old striker risks being sidelined at Emirates for the rest of this season after his captaincy was revoked late last year. The former Borussia Dortmund man has also been sidelined while the rest of the squad travelled to Dubai for a short training camp.
If this is something to go by, then Mikel Arteta is trying to implicate that he can still do without him and his best option might be to leave the Emirates this month. However according to the reports, the Gabon international might not get his desired move to the Spanish club, which also eyes Alvaro Morata.
Aubameyang and Lacazatte/Getty Images
The 32-year old striker has himself to blame for his current predicament, considering that he has breached Gunner’s rules at different times and previously been forgiven. The current squad is being rebuilt to become a powerful unit together and does not need a negative influence around. On 31 January 2018, Aubameyang signed for Premier League club, Arsenal, for a then-club-record fee, reported to be £56 million, the Gabon man made his debut for Arsenal against Everton in the Premier League in a 5–1 home victory, scoring the team’s fourth goal, chipping the ball over a grounded Jordan Pickford.
After missing the Europa League matches against Östersunds FK for the Gunners due to being cup-tied, the 32-year old registered his first away goal for the club in the team’s 2–1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. Aubameyang kept up his fine goalscoring form by scoring twice in Arsenal’s 3–0 home win against Stoke City. His goals against Stoke were also his first converted penalty for the club that made him the first player to score five times in his first six games for the club.
The former captain followed this up by scoring the only goal in Arsenal’s 1–0 away win against Huddersfield Town. He ended the season with ten goals and four assists in thirteen Premier League games and was the last goal scorer for Arsenal under Arsène Wenger. The Gabon international scored his first goal of the new season in a 3–2 away win over Cardiff City on 2 September 2018.
Aubameyang celebrates scoring in a past match/Getty Images
After a flick from Alexandre Lacazette, Aubameyang took a touch before curling the ball past the Cardiff goalkeeper. His strike from outside the box ended his personal run of 76 consecutive goals from inside the box in club football and was also his 150th goal in league football. He made his European debut for Arsenal, in the 4–2 home win over Vorskla Poltava, scoring two goals, before being substituted for Mesut Özil in the 57th minute.
The Gabon striker became the first player to reach 10 goals in the Premier League that season, following a brace in Arsenal’s 4–2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on 2 December. He scored the Gunners’ opening goal from the penalty spot and later curled a shot past Hugo Lloris in the second half; he also grabbed an assist for Arsenal’s fourth goal, which was Lucas Torreira’s first goal for the club. The victory took Arsenal above Tottenham in the Premier League on goal difference.
On 5 November 2019, after Granit Xhaka was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy following his angry reaction to getting booed by the Arsenal supporters during their Premier League game against Crystal Palace, head coach Unai Emery confirmed that Aubameyang would take over as the new Arsenal captain. Following the dismissal of Emery, On 1 December, Aubameyang scored both goals in Arsenal’s eventual 2–2 draw with Norwich City in interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg’s first game in charge.
Gabon striker Pierre Emerick in a past match/Getty Images
His first penalty goal had to be retaken after VAR discovered there to be encroachment in the penalty area, however, his second effort was successfully converted. After the resumption of the league in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gabon striker did not score or assist in the first three Premier League games after the restart for Arsenal but eventually netted a brace on 1 July against Norwich City in a 4–0 rout.
On 18 July, in their FA Cup semi-final against defending champions Manchester City, Aubameyang scored both goals in a 2–0 win for Arsenal, sending them to the final. On 1 August, he converted a penalty and scored the winner in the final, as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–1 and he lifted his first trophy with the club, becoming the first African to win the FA Cup as a captain.
On 29 August 2020, the 32-year old scored a goal in normal time and the fifth and winning penalty in a shoot-out win against Liverpool in the Community Shield, after the game ended 1–1. On 12 September, he scored in the first league game of the new season the final goal of a 3–0 win away to Fulham. On 15 September; Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal.
The former captain scored two goals for Arsenal in their 3–0 victory over Newcastle United on 18 January 2021. However, he did not play in the club’s next three matches, in order to tend to his ill mother.[88] On 14 February, he scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Leeds United. This took him to 200 career goals across Europe’s top five leagues. On 25 February, he scored two goals against Benfica in a 3–2 win to secure a place in the Europa League round of 16.
On 14 March, Aubameyang was left out of the starting lineup in the North London Derby against Hotspurs, the manager citing disciplinary reasons. On matchday 16 of the 2021–22 season, he was omitted from the squad for Gunners match against Southampton, with manager Mikel Arteta yet again citing disciplinary reasons. Three days later, Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy role.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login