FC Barcelona could drop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from their UEFA Europa League with the Catalan side only able to register three new players for the competition.
According to the Athletic, the La Liga side will have to drop one of their four January signings from their Europa League squad for the next stage of the competition. Barcelona brought in Ferran Torres, Dani Alves and Adama Traore, with Aubameyang arriving on deadline day.
Whilst Xavi Hernandez’s side will be fine to use all four players in La Liga, the Europa League could be Barcelona’s best shot at qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season. And dropping one of the four aforementioned names could be devastating.
As per the report, Barcelona’s attacking options were already fairly solid even before the arrival of Aubameyang, meaning that the former Arsenal striker could be left out of the European squad, which is due to be submitted tonight.
If Barcelona are to pull the trigger on the Gabon international, it wouldn’t be the first time Aubameyang has been dropped from a Europa League squad.
The striker was unable to be registered for Arsenal following his move from Borussia Dortmund with UEFA rules, at the time, preventing a player from representing two different clubs in the same season in UEFA competitions, a law which has since been changed.
Indeed, it is unlikely which player will be left out from the Barcelona squad. However, it could be a calamitous error from the Catalan side if they were to exclude Aubameyang just days after signing him from Arsenal.
Aubameyang could fire Barcelona to European glory if registered
This incident is just the latest in the jokebook that is FC Barcelona, yet if Xavi has real determination to win the Europa League this season, Aubameyang will have to be included in the squad.
The striker was a proven goalscorer in the competition with Arsenal, with the attacker playing a key role in the Gunners’ run to the final in 2019 under Unai Emery. And for Barcelona, Aubameyang could provide similar heroics for the La Liga side.
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