According to The Athletic’s Amy Lawrence, there is a ‘disconnect’ between Mikel Arteta and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal.
Speaking on the Handbrake Off podcast, the Arsenal correspondent said: “It’s fairly obvious that there’s a disconnect going on between him and the manager and they need to thrash it out.”
Now, it’s hugely important that the pair do thrash out their differences and get themselves on the same page.
Aubameyang is the club’s highest earner on £250,000-a-week, and recently signed a new contract lasting until 2023.
The Times claim that this contract is actually worth closer to £350,000-a-week, after bonuses and loyalty payments.
In that respect, Arteta needs to be on the same page as the club’s most expensive player, or there’s no point in having him.
If they can’t resolve their differences, the Gunners should sell Aubameyang before his value plummets – we mustn’t forget that he’s 31 years of age.
It would make sense for the Gunners to offload the 51-cap Gabon international, and get someone in who Arteta can work productively alongside, should this ‘disconnect’ continue.
It did seem like something was up with Aubameyang during the first half of the campaign, as he really struggled in front of goal.
However, he has found something of a resurgence after scoring a hat-trick against Leeds in February.
Two vital goals against Benfica helped Arsenal progress in Europe, where they’re now in the Europa League semi-final thanks to his efforts.
Hopefully, Arteta and Aubameyang can clear the air soon.
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