Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stripped of captaincy at Arsenal after breaching disciplinary rules
Another breach of Arsenal‘s disciplinary rules has seen Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stripped of the captaincy at the club.
The Gabon striker was left out of the squad entirely last Saturday for Arsenal’s 3-0 win at home to Southampton, as Alexandre Lacazette led the line and scored the opening goal.
Mikel Arteta confirmed prior to kick-off that the decision to drop Aubameyang was purely down to a ‘disciplinary issue’.
Then, on Tuesday, Arsenal released a statement confirming that Aubameyang is no longer the club’s captain.
“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,” read Arsenal‘s statement.
“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.”
His experience and performances under Unai Emery earned him the armband while the now-Villarreal boss was still in charge, and Arteta put trust in Aubameyang to guide the team forward under his leadership.
But since then, his form has dropped off considerably and some discipline issues have arisen, which has led to some questioning his commitment.
Aubameyang has previously been benched or dropped for other breaches, such as being late to the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in March, which saw him lose his original starting place.
He was also reprimanded in February for a COVID-19 breach, with patience wearing thin for Arteta, although offloading the striker could be tricky with his £350,000 a week deal still having 18 months left to run.
No new Arsenal contract is on the horizon for Aubameyang, but the Gunners may have to pay some of his wages at whatever team he joins next, with no one likely to spend such money on an out-of-form, 32-year-old striker.
Who could be Arsenal’s next captain?
Alexandre Lacazette has worn the armband in Aubameyang’s absence before, while fans have been vocal in their support for left-back Kieran Tierney to have more of a leadership role.
Some under-the-radar choices to be Arsenal’s next captain are Gabriel, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard.
