Who knew that the partnership between Arteta and Aubameyang which delivered an FA Cup and community shield would turn so sour so suddenly. It was all smiles as the trophies were held aloft, there was dancing in the changing room, arms around the shoulder which had all the hallmarks of a football love-in, but that was then.
Aubameyang enjoys celebrity status and stardom, he enjoys the trappings of his success in the form of cars, clothes and jewellery. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as he delivers and puts the ball regularly in the back of the net but it now seems that his lack of goals has started to impinge on the professional side of his relationships.
This is nothing new, Borussia Dortmund had issues with indiscipline and decided to jettison a player that had stopped playing to his full potential and was less inclined to turn up for training on time. There were absences and excuses which tested the trust of the players and the manager and it was entirely inevitable that the club would cut its losses.
Of course, this all sounds familiar in Arsenal’s recent history. Extended contracts for a high profile player, a dip in form, casual demeanour and lack of presence or return. We could be looking back at the demise of Mesut Ozil, a situation that Arteta had to navigate on his arrival and which cost Arsenal money and credibility.
There have been rumours of a divide between Arteta and Aubameyang, a type of early mutiny that is commonplace in many dressing rooms when the pressure is on. The radar and instinct that a striker has are a gift from the football God’s, but of late, the Gabon striker has missed a handful of sitters and his body posture is of someone who has things on his troubled mind.
The smiles are becoming rare, the confidence is waning and the contributions are becoming more inconsistent to the point of being negligible. Arteta needed the goals from Aubameyang and he stuck by the striker over six goalless outings only to have his captain go AWOL, which is now a major issue that may not be resolved.
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The Spaniard was clearly irritated by questions in the topic and one sensed that he had already decided to drop him as a player and relieve him of the captaincy, much before than he actually did. At present, he’s failing on both fronts instead of setting the standard and example to a young side. Arteta has to take a stand and Nketiah’s appearance against Everton ahead of the skipper spoke volumes. The manager would rather call upon a player that has refused a new contract than his high profile striker.
For me, he has to be sold at the first available opportunity. You can not have a player breaking the club’s or Arteta’s basic rules of discipline without suffering the consequences. Such a reaction will only accelerate the divisions between all three parties, but on the plus side, Arsenal have looked balanced without him and let’s be brutally honest, of late, he has been no more than a passenger.
