Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has responded to recent comments made by the club’s former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a leaked video.
THE LOWDOWN: UNPLEASANT END
The Gunners paid a reported £56m for the Gabon striker in 2018 and his impact in his first few years in north London was decent. His first two full seasons in the Premier League saw him produce 22 goals in each, but his form for the Gunners dipped massively over the subsequent two campaigns.
Despite his poor form, he was trusted by the manager and remained the skipper of the club until he was stripped of the armband after a disciplinary breach. What followed was an unplanned exit from the Emirates Stadium to Barcelona earlier this year.
The circumstances surrounding his departure, the disciplinary breach and more become clear to a lot of Arsenal fans after watching the Amazon Prime All or Nothing documentary. However, a leaked video during the week has now reopened the conversation, where Aubameyang hit out at the Arsenal manager.
THE LATEST: ARTETA’S RESPONSE
Arteta has taken time to respond to the comments made by former Arsenal striker Aubameyang earlier in the week.
The 40-year-old responded by telling reporters on Wednesday: “People are free to discuss what they want… I have never been in a better dressing room… it’s an absolute pleasure to be in this group.”
Meanwhile, Aubameyang has since addressed the leaked clip, posting on Twitter last Monday: “Aware there is a video out that was recorded just after I arrived at Barca. At the time I still had a lot of bad feelings in me. Arsenal are doing great things this season and I wish all my old guys well, just not on November 6 [when Chelsea host Arsenal].”
THE VERDICT: FOCUS IS NEEDED
Issues like this could derail the momentum and focus that Arsenal have enjoyed in the course of the season so far.
Besides, Aubameyang is no longer at the Emirates, and everything that has happened in the past should remain there.
