Mikel Arteta has seemingly hinted that it will be some time before we see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in an Arsenal shirt.
Speaking to Football London, the Basque coach revealed that the former club captain will need some time before returning to the squad after being stripped of the armband.
Arsenal confirmed yesterday that the 32-year-old will no longer captain the club after another disciplinary breach, with Aubameyang being late to training after a family trip to France.
The lateness prompted Arteta to drop Aubameyang from Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Southampton over the weekend. And now the decision has been made to strip the striker from the captaincy altogether, even despite the striker scoring seven goals in all competitions this season.
Indeed, the decision sent shockwaves around the Arsenal fanbase. And when asked when Aubameyang will be back with the squad, Arteta was not too sure about a specific time frame.
The Gunners manager said: “We need a bit of time. It needs a bit of time to heal. For now, he’s not involved in the squad.”
Arsenal fans slaughter Arteta for short-term plan for Aubameyang
Indeed, whilst dropping Aubameyang makes sense given the situtation, Arsenal fans on social media are fuming with Arteta’s decision to drop one of their star strikers at a crucial part of the season.
After all, the festive period is one of the busiest times of the football calendar. And dropping a player like Aubameyang could be costly with the Gunners already being a shy team in front of goal.
Here’s what some Arsenal fans had to say on Twitter about Arteta’s plan for Aubameyang…
https://twitter.com/carlitoNGU/status/1470750461833662468
https://twitter.com/ElBente1/status/1470848117406945281
https://twitter.com/FabliceMani/status/1470813865210302464
https://twitter.com/tarisai_mavhura/status/1470781066332057600
https://twitter.com/Dann__IeL/status/1470751149968044032
https://twitter.com/jlenz98/status/1470753922038091781
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