Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a surprise exit from Arsenal for FC Barcelona in the January transfer window, and it hasn’t taken long for the striker to etch his name into the history books.
The Gabon international was released by the Gunners after being frozen out of the squad and stripped of the captaincy by Mikel Arteta, with Aubameyang breaching multiple disciplinary rules set in place by the Arsenal manager.
The decision was met with surprise from supporters given the attacking quality Aubameyang possesses, but Arteta put his foot down and made his choice, with the club agreeing to mutually terminate his contract on deadline day.
Aubameyang breaks 21st Century record in Barcelona display
The move allowed Aubameyang to join Barcelona as a free agent, and in his first La Liga start for the La Liga giants, the 32-year-old attacker made history as the forward bagged a hat-trick against Valencia in a 4-1 win.
As per WhoScored, Aubameyang has become the first player this century to score a hat-trick in Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, the Premier League, and now La Liga, a feat no other player has achieved in decades.
Indeed, whilst Arsenal have played well without Aubameyang, the lack of a world-class striker could be the difference between the Gunners finishing fourth or eighth in the Premier League, and the decision to release their former captain prematurely could be a foolish one for this season.
Arsenal could have acted too hastily in January transfer decision
Arteta has done an impressive job decreasing Arsenal’s wage bill since joining the club in 2019, with huge earners such as Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac all leaving under the Basque manager’s leadership.
And whilst shedding Aubameyang’s salary off the payroll will be helpful in the summer, the decision to offload the striker so hastily could come back to hurt Arsenal given their drive to qualify for the Champions League.
Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are solid finishers but are not as good, overall, as Aubameyang, who tormented the Premier League for years with Arsenal, and this record-breaking display with Barcelona could indicate that the striker had time left in north London to show his world-class quality.
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