Arsenal striker expected to agree new contract to stay at Emirates
STRIKER ‘VERBALLY AGREES’ CONTRACT UNTIL 2023
ARSENAL are close to agreeing a new contract with FA Cup hero Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after a breakthrough in talks with the forward.
Following months of negotiations, the 31-year-old is believed to have verbally agreed a new deal until 2023, thought to be worth more than £250,000 a week. Barring any late hitches, Aubameyang is now expected to commit his future to the club.
The Gabonese, who was named club captain in November, has scored 70 goals in 109 appearances since signing from Borussia Dortmund for £56million in January 2018 and he has proved indispensable for manager Mikel Arteta — most recently with a match-winning display in last Saturday’s FA Cup win.
Aubameyang is set to be joined in north London next season by Willian, with the Chelsea winger close to agreeing a threeyear deal with Arsenal, believed to be worth in excess of £100,000 a week. The Gunners are also eyeing Lille defender
Gabriel Magalhaes and want a central midfielder, with Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey among their targets. A number of fringe players are expected to depart this summer, with AC Milan target Lucas Torreira and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who is wanted by Everton and Brighton, among them.
The timing of the likely agreements with Aubameyang and Willian is deeply uncomfortable, however, coming just days after Arsenal announced plans to make 55 staff redundant.
The news angered a number of firstteam players, the vast majority of whom agreed pay cuts in April in the belief they were helping to save jobs. Arsenal are also conducting a major overhaul of their recruitment department, led by technical director Edu, but the scouts being let go are not part of the proposed redundancies because they are on contract.
Head of international scouting Francis Cagigao, head of UK scouting Peter Clark and scout Brian McDermott are among those being released, along with senior figures in recruitment, including Ty Gooden, who was overseeing France.
Edu wants the club to move to a more data and analytics-driven approach, which has proved so successful for Liverpool and Manchester City, and away from the old-fashioned system of having scouts specialising in different locations around the world.
Earlier this year, the Brazilian carried out an overhaul of the recruitment department at Arsenal’s Hale End academy, with a number of established figures, including head of youth scouting, Steve Morrow, departing.
The changes also suggest a move to a more agent-led approach, with Willian’s representative Kia Joorabchian increasingly influential at the club.