According to a recent report by The Daily Express, Barcelona have ruled themselves out of the race to sign the Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang despite Arsenal looking to move him on this summer. The same source has claimed that the Catalans have decided to end their interest in the Premier League golden boot winner as they want to focus all their attention in signing Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan in the off-season.
Aubameyang’s Incredible Scoring Record In The Premier League
Aubameyang has enjoyed another prolific season in the Premier League despite his team’s struggles to find consistency on the field. He has scored 20 goals and provided one assist in 32 matches for the North London outfit this term in all competitions. He is currently sitting in second place in the English top-flight’s golden boot race after scoring 17 league goals, just two behind the top-scorer, Jamie Vardy. However, the coronavirus pandemic has put football on hold for the time being, so it is uncertain whether the season will resume at a later date or if it will be deemed as null and void.
The Gabonese striker has averaged 2.5 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League and the UEFA Europa League this season which does not make for a good reading (stats via whoscored). Even though he has been a consistent goal-getter at the highest level over the past half a decade, one can question whether he contributes enough going forward when he is going through a rough patch in front of the opposition goal.
Aubameyang lacks creativity and imagination to cut open the opposition defence but tends to always be in the right place at the right time to finish off chances in the final third. He is currently the skipper of the Gabonese national side, having scored 20 goals in 51 matches for his nation thus far.
What Does The Gunners Marksman Bring To The Table?
The 30-year-old is edging towards the twilight years of his playing career, but that hasn’t stopped him from making a few well-timed runs behind the opposition backline. He is still one of the quickest players in European football which explains why he scores so many breakaway goals on the counter. However, he can be a bit sloppy with his ball-distribution after being successful in completing only 72% of his attempted passes in the Premier League this term (stats via whoscored).
Aubameyang would have undoubtedly added a lot of goals to Quique Setien’s frontline. He could have been a perfect replacement for Luis Suarez, who is in the last legs of his Barca career. Thus, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for them to give up on the Gabonese forward when there are no guarantees that the Catalans would be able to sign Lautaro Martinez this summer.
Did The La Liga Leaders Make The Right Call By Dropping Their Interest In Aubameyang?
All signs point towards this being a wrong move by the Spanish giants as Aubameyang could have excelled if allowed to play alongside Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann at the Nou Camp. Even though the Arsenal centre-forward is in the wrong side of the thirties, the fact remains that he still has a few good years left in him to find the back of the net consistently at the top level.
Therefore, if Setien fails to land Martinez in the off-season, then he will have only himself to blame for not opting to sign Aubameyang instead.
