No commitment No passion No armband
Auba stripped of captaincy by fuming Arteta & star could now be on his way to Barca
MIKEL ARTETA accused Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of lacking commitment and passion as the Arsenal boss stripped him of the captaincy.
And his time at the Emirates could now be up – with the striker already being lined up as a replacement for Sergio Aguero at Barcelona after Arteta refused to guarantee his former skipper will play for the Gunners again following another “disciplinary breach” last week.
Manchester City legend Aguero, who joined Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer, is set to announce his retirement today because of a heart issue.
Aubameyang would be an ideal replacement but his £350,000-a-week wages present a big obstacle to the Catalan club staggering under £1bn of debt.
Yet his Arsenal career could now be over and asked if he will be sold next month, Arteta replied: “I can say right now that we have made this decision, unfortunately it’s a really tough one and obviously if I had to choose I would not like to be sitting here talking about it – but we had to do it. But for now, he is not involved in the squad.
“Has he played his last game for Arsenal? All I can say is that for now, he’s out of the squad, he’s not involved and sadly, this is the decision that we’ve taken.
“The decision that we made is really hurting, and it is still like this and it needs a bit of time to heal. So for now, he is not involved in the squad.”
In the months before Arteta took over in December 2019, the Gunners sold former skipper Laurent Koscielny after he refused to go on a pre-season trip and removed the captain’s armband from Granit Xhaka.
Now the North London club are seeking a fifth permanent skipper since Arteta left in 2016 to replace the £56million star.
And Aubameyang, who retuned late from a family trip to France, risks becoming the new Mesut Ozil, an expensive embarrassment excluded from the squad for failing to meet “non-negotiable” standards.
Arteta said: “The decision that we have taken as a club is clear.
“It is because we believe that he has failed to be committed at our level. What I expect from any person in this club, representing this badge, is passion and that he gives 100 per cent, that he puts the club in front of any personal interests and is able to do anything to fulfil the badge on the chest.
“Apart from that, you can listen to individuals and you can understand different cultures but that commitment and passion has to be there. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.”
Arteta would not comment on the perennial pattern of implosions of Arsenal captains.
He said: “I am talking today about the incident that happened. It is more than enough to discuss.”
It is because we believe that he has failed to be committed MIKEL ARTETA SHOWS DISAPPOINTMENT AT AUBAMEYANG
All this before hosting West Ham where a win will see the Gunners leapfrog their London rivals into the final Champions League place.
Arteta said: “It’s a big game because of the position they are in and the position we want to be in. I’m hoping the team is going to get out there with the fire in their eyes.”