NFL
By: Ty Reeves
To say the January Transfer Window was a disappointment is a massive understatement. No Vlahovic, No Isak, and no backup anywhere. But to make matters worse, Arsenal let the man that carried us to an FA Cup and Community Shield trophy walk for free. That’s right. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, the man that contributed 113 goals and assists during his tenure at the club, moved to Barcelona on a free after he was frozen out of the Arsenal team.
Aubameyang left Arsenal fans a heartfelt message on social media thanking the fans for making London his home for the last four years. He went on to say in the post that, “I have always been 100% focused and committed to doing everything I can for this club… I have nothing but respect for this club and truly wish all my guys and the fans all the best.” And to put the Cherry on top, he changed his Twitter profile picture to a graphic an Arsenal fan created for him.
Aubameyang’s goodbye message to the Arsenal fans. pic.twitter.com/asjEdzkJAm
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley) February 1, 2022
However, he has now left fans curious to question what went wrong. After his move to Barca, Auba made some comments that put the spotlight on Arteta. In a press conference after formally being announced as a player by the club he said, “My last few months at Arsenal were complicated, that’s football sometimes.” (via: theathletic)
“For my part, I never wanted to do anything wrong. My problem was only with Arteta. I can’t say much more, I wasn’t happy. It was just him and he made that decision. He wasn’t happy, I can’t tell you more.”
Aubameyang: "My last few months at Arsenal were complicated, that's football sometimes. For my part, I never wanted to do anything wrong. My problem was only with Arteta. I can't say much more, I wasn't happy." pic.twitter.com/onZ1xXGgXL
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley) February 3, 2022
Clearly the relationship between Aubameyang and Arteta took a wrong turn somewhere in time. When Arteta took over as manager he based the team around Aubameyang. Even though Aubameyang played off the left hand side, he went on to finish that season with 23 goals and leave fans with an unforgettable image in their head, putting Kurt Zouma in a blender to score the winning goal in the FA Cup final.
Even after the FA Cup final win August 1, 2020, Aubameyang retweeted an image of him and Arteta and captioned it, “My manager !!!!!”. So where did it all go wrong? Arsenal fans will just have to wait until The All or Nothing Documentary to come out after the season to find out what happened.
https://twitter.com/auba/status/1289650954967683072?s=10
Fans from all over the world have taken to social media to show their support and love for the striker. His teammates have also posted and commented on social media to show their love for their former teammate. Bukayo Saka made a post calling him a “legend”, while Lacazette talked about their unique friendship. Aubameyang will be missed by Arsenal fans all around the world, but sometimes it’s a good thing to say goodbye and turn the page.
My bro !!
Thanks for the last 4 years , my experience in arsenal would have been different without you..
Wish you good luck in your next chapter !
See you soon 😏😂
❤️⚡️♣️ pic.twitter.com/MnOrnXiOc7— Alexandre Lacazette (@LacazetteAlex) February 3, 2022
Is Arteta in the right?
As much as fans love Aubameyang, he did have discipline issues down the stretch. On December 11, 2021, Auba was left out of the Arsenal squad ahead of their clash against Southampton after a “disciplinary breach”. He would be stripped of the Arsenal armband for whatever act of treason it was and Arteta was quoted saying, “It is because we believe he has failed to be committed to the level we all expect and agree. It is as simple as that.” According to Arteta, the squad needed “healing”, so Aubameyang was left out of the squad.
The problems would continue for Aubameyang away from the club as well. With the AFCON tournament being played midway through the Premier League season, the Gabon international, and captain, would leave the club to go play in the tournament.
Aubameyang would go on to not play a single game for his country after contracting Covid while vacationing in Dubai with teammates a week before the start of the tournament. After getting out of quarantine and rejoining the squad for training it was brought to his attention that he was having heart lesions from contracting the virus. He then would return to London for treatment.
This isn’t the first time Aubameyang has had issues at a club. While he was playing at German giants Borussia Dortmund, he also had some issues with then manager Thomas Tuchel. Before his move to the Emirates, he was suspended and fined by the team for missing an important team meeting. He then was crucified by the board of directors, which had a play in his move to Arsenal.
So, with the team improving and competing for top four, and Aubameyang not playing anything closer to his best football, and breaching team rules, was Arteta and the board really in the wrong for letting Auba walk? I’ll let you decide.
⚡ For the match-winning moments
🙅♂️ For the iconic celebrations
😀 For making us smileThank you for everything, @Auba ❤️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 1, 2022
