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Arteta: stripping Aubameyang of Arsenal captaincy painful but necessary | Arsenal

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy and will not be selected for Wednesday’s match against West Ham, throwing the striker’s future at the club into doubt.

Mikel Arteta dropped Aubameyang from the squad that beat Southampton on Saturday over returning late from a trip abroad and the manager afterwards refused to take questions on the player’s status as club captain. But it was far from the 32-year-old’s first such offence and the manager’s patience has run out.

“We have made this decision based on certain moments where he has not fulfilled his duties, and that’s it,” a clearly disappointed Arteta said. “That expectation and commitment that we need from every player, that’s at a different level. That’s why we were forced to make that decision.”

Although exiling a senior player who occupies a significant chunk of the wage bill would appear untenable in the long term, Arteta would not be drawn on any timeline for Aubameyang’s return or whether there is a way back.

“What I can say for now is that you can understand it is a lot to digest and a really difficult decision to make, so we need a bit of time,” he said. “The decision that we made is really hurting, and it is still like this and it needs a bit of time to heal. So for now, he is not involved in the squad.”

Arteta said it had been a “painful” call to make and that Aubameyang accepted the news when it was delivered “the way I like to do it, eye to eye”.

Arteta’s decision was made jointly with the club’s hierarchy and comes after discussions with Aubameyang over the past three days. Punctuality issues have dogged Aubameyang in the past, the most high-profile seeing him dropped to the bench for the derby against Spurs in March after he reported late. Similar infractions are also understood to have taken place. Additionally, he was reminded of his responsibilities by the club in February after apparently breaching Covid-19 regulations to get a tattoo.

Arsenal have been sympathetic to other off-pitch issues this year, such as a serious illness to his mother and a bout of malaria that hospitalised him, but have been compelled to act after that they see as an intolerable cumulation of breaches.

Unusually, a club statement made clear their dissatisfaction with the player. “Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United,” it said.

“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.”

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Alexandre Lacazette captained Arsenal against Southampton but his long-term future is unclear and Arteta is short of senior players capable of stepping up. Granit Xhaka’s ill-fated captaincy is unlikely to be repeated over a longer period so players such as Kieran Tierney and Martin Ødegaard, who only turns 23 on Friday but is captain of Norway, may come into the reckoning. “It is a really unpleasant situation and it is not the moment to make any rash decision,” Arteta said, suggesting the process may take time.

Aubameyang signed a new three-year deal in September 2020 and is the club’s highest earner. But he has only scored four Premier League goals this season and, given he is due to represent Gabon at the Africa Cup of Nations next month, Arsenal are already prepared for short-term life without him. His prospects of seeing out that deal will be under question now that Arteta has taken such firm action.


Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy and will not be selected for Wednesday’s match against West Ham, throwing the striker’s future at the club into doubt.

Mikel Arteta dropped Aubameyang from the squad that beat Southampton on Saturday over returning late from a trip abroad and the manager afterwards refused to take questions on the player’s status as club captain. But it was far from the 32-year-old’s first such offence and the manager’s patience has run out.

“We have made this decision based on certain moments where he has not fulfilled his duties, and that’s it,” a clearly disappointed Arteta said. “That expectation and commitment that we need from every player, that’s at a different level. That’s why we were forced to make that decision.”

Although exiling a senior player who occupies a significant chunk of the wage bill would appear untenable in the long term, Arteta would not be drawn on any timeline for Aubameyang’s return or whether there is a way back.

“What I can say for now is that you can understand it is a lot to digest and a really difficult decision to make, so we need a bit of time,” he said. “The decision that we made is really hurting, and it is still like this and it needs a bit of time to heal. So for now, he is not involved in the squad.”

Arteta said it had been a “painful” call to make and that Aubameyang accepted the news when it was delivered “the way I like to do it, eye to eye”.

Arteta’s decision was made jointly with the club’s hierarchy and comes after discussions with Aubameyang over the past three days. Punctuality issues have dogged Aubameyang in the past, the most high-profile seeing him dropped to the bench for the derby against Spurs in March after he reported late. Similar infractions are also understood to have taken place. Additionally, he was reminded of his responsibilities by the club in February after apparently breaching Covid-19 regulations to get a tattoo.

Arsenal have been sympathetic to other off-pitch issues this year, such as a serious illness to his mother and a bout of malaria that hospitalised him, but have been compelled to act after that they see as an intolerable cumulation of breaches.

Unusually, a club statement made clear their dissatisfaction with the player. “Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United,” it said.

“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.”

Quick Guide

How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?

Show

  • Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
  • If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
  • In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
  • Turn on sport notifications.

Thank you for your feedback.

Alexandre Lacazette captained Arsenal against Southampton but his long-term future is unclear and Arteta is short of senior players capable of stepping up. Granit Xhaka’s ill-fated captaincy is unlikely to be repeated over a longer period so players such as Kieran Tierney and Martin Ødegaard, who only turns 23 on Friday but is captain of Norway, may come into the reckoning. “It is a really unpleasant situation and it is not the moment to make any rash decision,” Arteta said, suggesting the process may take time.

Aubameyang signed a new three-year deal in September 2020 and is the club’s highest earner. But he has only scored four Premier League goals this season and, given he is due to represent Gabon at the Africa Cup of Nations next month, Arsenal are already prepared for short-term life without him. His prospects of seeing out that deal will be under question now that Arteta has taken such firm action.

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