According to a recent report by Spanish publication SPORT, West Ham United are likely to battle it out with Barcelona for the signing of Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese international has been frozen out of the first-team by Mikel Arteta due to too many disciplinary breaches at the club. It is believed that the situation will not affect his prospective suitors as West Ham United and Barcelona remain interested to sign the striker in the January transfer window. Aubameyang has gone from being one of the most influential players at the club to a player who doesn’t carry any weight for the Gunners anymore.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Frozen Out Of The First Team
Aubameyang joined Arsenal in 2018 from Borussia Dortmund and has been a key player for the club since then. He has finished twice as the top scorer of the club including winning the Premier League golden boot once. Aubameyang has also helped the Gunners win the FA Cup in 2020 beating their city rivals Chelsea. However, this season has been a low for him in his career. The Gabonese international has scored only 4 goals in 14 appearances and has been frozen out of the first team due to disciplinary breaches at the club. He was also removed from Gunners’ captaincy.
Since signing a renewal at the onset of the 2020/21 season, Aubameyang’s form has been on the downside. He has only scored 14 times in 43 appearances for the club since then. But these issues don’t seem to affect his admirers for a future transfer as West Ham United and Barcelona remain interested to get his services in the January transfer window.
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Should Arteta Let Aubameyang Go?
Arteta has a tough decision to make on whether to keep Aubameyang at the club or not. The striker has been directly involved in the club’s success for the past 3 years but it seems the time has come for the Gunners to adapt to a life without the Gabonese striker. Alexander Lacazette has currently replaced the striker and put in massive shifts in Gunners’ race to achieve a top-four spot in the league.
There is no doubt about the quality that Aubameyang possesses and it will remain a daunting task to replace him in the January transfer window. With Lacazette’s contract coming to an end in the summer of 2022, Arsenal will be in search of a high profile striker in the market and would also reconsider renewing the contract of Lacazette.
