Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his employer seem to be drifting further and further apart. On Tuesday, Arsenal announced they had dropped the Gabonese as captain and also suspended him.
Aubameyang clearly hasn’t moved anywhere near the world class he always managed in the Gunners jersey since September 2020 – after signing a lucrative new contract (valid until 2023). Instead, the now 32-year-old has recently moved too often outside the bounds that Arsenal still put up with.
So the disciplinary drama surrounding Aubameyang continues, with the next measure being the removal as captain of the attacker who was dropped from the squad for the Southampton game (3-0) at the weekend. The Gunners made the announcement on Tuesday lunchtime.
No option against West Ham
There have reportedly been too many breaches of trust with coach Mikel Arteta in the meantime, with the former Dortmund man no longer an undisputed regular for the Spaniard for some time.
“We expect all our players, especially our captain, to live up to the rules and standards we have set and agreed,” read the statement from the Premier League sixth-placed side, who host fourth-placed West Ham on Wednesday. Aubameyang will “not be considered” for that game.