Paul Merson thinks Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won’t play for Arsenal again, even if it might ‘cost’ them Champions League football, as he told Sky Sports (22/01/22 at 1:10 pm).
The former double-winning midfielder thinks Arteta has ‘already laid that one out’ with Aubameyang and left the former captain hanging ‘out to dry’.
Aubameyang hasn’t donned Arsenal’s colours since they were beaten by Everton in December.
Soon after that game, the Gabon star was stripped of the club’s captaincy, which has since, on a temporary basis, been handed to Alexandre Lacazette.
Even though Arsenal are crying out for more quality in the final third, Merson still thinks Aubameyang won’t come back, even if a new striker isn’t signed this month.
“No, not for me,” said Merson. “I think Arteta has already laid that one out. I think he has chopped his nose there (to spite his face).
On whether Aubameyang will come back even if Arsenal don’t buy a striker this month: “I don’t. He left him out to dry. It is going to be some going for the lad to come back.
“It could (cost them a top-four). But I don’t think Aubameyang is going to get them into the top-four, though.
“For me, pick your best players. I just think what has happened between the manager and him needs to be sorted out first.”
The last time Arteta made such a call, he left Mesut Ozil out of the club’s plans altogether and that was a decision that is now proving to work out.
At the time, with Ozil in the background and not being picked, Arsenal were crying out for creative spark.
But Arteta refused to budge and ensured Ozil had no future in north London, all in all, it resulted in Emile Smith Rowe donning those responsibilities.
And his rise, since then, as well as the arrival of Martin Odegaard, is there for all to see and proof that Arteta might just be making the right decisions, regardless of how unpopular there may be.
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