Arsenal strip Aubameyang of captaincy over disciplinary breach
Arsenal have stripped PierreEmerick Aubameyang of the club captaincy and the forward will not be considered for selection against West Ham tonight.
Aubameyang was dropped for Saturday’s Premier League 3-0 win over Southampton for what manager Mikel Arteta said was a “disciplinary breach”,whichreportedlyconcernedalatereturnfromatrip abroad.
The club confirmed Gabon forward Aubameyang would no longer wear the captain’s armband and also miss out against the Hammers.
“Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for tonight’s matchagainstWestHamUnited,” a statement read.
“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed.Wearefullyfocusedon tonight’s match.”
Alexandre Lacazette captained the side against Southampton, and opened the scoring in the 21st minute.
Speaking ahead of the match in an interview shared on the club’s Twitter feed, Arteta said: “Unfortunately (it is) due to a disciplinary breach.
“We’ve been very consistent, no negotiables on what we set ourselves as a club, and he’s not involved today.”
Afterwards, Arteta did not add any further details, but is
expected to face further questions at a press conference ahead of the West Ham game.
It is not Aubameyang’s first transgression, having previously been benched for March’s north London derby
against Tottenham after what was described as a breach of the club’s pre-match protocol.
Lacazette could again be named captain for the West Ham game. Midfielder Granit Xhaka and defender Kieran
Tierneyarealsootherpossible candidates to take on the role.
*Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof is underdoing investigations into thecauseofthebreathingdifficultieshesufferedonSaturday butitisnotbelievedtoberelated to the Covid-19 outbreak at the club.
Lindelof, 27, was substituted in the 74th minute of United’s 1-0 win over Norwich at CarrowRoadonSaturdayeveningafterstrugglingtocatchhis
breath.Unitedinterimmanager Ralf Rangnick said after the matchtheSwedendefenderalso had a higher heart rate than normal, prompting the decision to replace him.