Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dismissed
Arsenal is looking for a new captain following the dismissal of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a striker for a disciplinary offense.
Mikel Arteta said that Pierre-Emerick Abubameyang was stripped of his Arsenal captaincy and that he would not rush to appoint another captain.
Aubameyang was fired after being found guilty of a disciplinary offense for a late return from an overseas trip.
He was not available for Wednesday’s match against West Ham because he was injured in the win over Southampton.
Arteta, Arsenal manager, stated that “What I can now say is that we made the decision” and it was difficult.
“If I could, I wouldn’t like to sit here and discuss it.
“I believe it’s a very strong statement from the club. We made this decision after the last incident with the player, and we are standing there now.
Current status of the team
Arteta has already taken steps against Aubameyang, including dropping him in March’s North London derby against Tottenham. Arsenal also reprimanded him in February for violating Covid-19 rules.
Alexandre Lacazette was the captain of the side against Southampton. Arteta however suggested that he wouldn’t rush to appoint a permanent captain and would instead rely on a panel decision.
It’s a difficult situation. We will keep pursuing this leadership group.
“The next captain matters. It is a multi-cultural group, with many languages and cultures. The decision was accepted by the players. Because they have asked for our culture and committed to it, the players know that they want to be club people. We want to represent our club at a higher level. If it is broken, we can’t accept it.
“It is a very unpredictable sporting environment, and there are many things that can be difficult. They have shown great leadership and are highly valued by the club. It is so important for them to be in a tight season. I want them to be responsible on and off the field.
Arteta answered a question about whether Aubameyang would be sold in January. He is currently under contract through 2023. It is not something I want to talk about. He is not participating in the discussions of the team right now.
“I can only say that it is a lot to take in. It is a hard decision that will take some time. But I can tell that right now, we made this decision because of our pain. He was not involved and it took time for the wounds to heal. We’ve had a great relationship since I’ve been here. It’s because of that, it’s so painful.”
Future plans
Arsenal has a chance of closing the gap to the top four by facing West Ham. After a comfortable win against Southampton, Arsenal is now four points behind West Ham.
Arteta stated that he wanted his team to have “the fire” against David Moyes’ men. However, dropping Aubameyang would distract.
“I wish I could talk about different things on a different day, like Auba. Every day we are trying to make these kinds of decisions and that’s what our team tries to do. I’m hopeful that the team will have the firepower to play tomorrow in front of their people. We hope for a great outcome.”
