A year on, are Arsenal regretting handing Aubameyang a three-year deal?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 32

A year on, are Arsenal regretting handing Aubameyang a three-year deal?  

By Jonathan Bray

 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 32, has been Arsenal’s star player for the better part of four seasons now.  
Having joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 Aubameyang has endeared himself to the Arsenal faithful.  
He’s scored 64 goals in 114 Premier League appearances, including ten goals in his first 13 games for the club, while he scored more than 20 league goals in back-to-back seasons. 
He won the Premier League golden boot in 2018-19 season and Arsenal’s Player of the Season award during the 2019-20 season.  
However, last season he only hit the back of the net ten times in the league, which would be acceptable for a Chris Wood or a Che Adams, but it was well below par for the Gabon international.  
On September 15 2020 Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal worth around £250,000 a week, but it has potentially backfired on the Gunners as they face having another out of form star on huge wages on their books.  
It is definitely worth analysing if Arsenal should regret handing the player that three-year deal.  

 

How it started and how it’s going  

 Aubameyang’s career at Arsenal started as well as any fan could have hoped for.  

After an electric first half a season at the Emirates, Aubameyang proved it was no fluke with two fantastic full seasons leading Arsenal’s front line.  

He was deployed on the left wing and as a striker, creating a strong bond with the fans.  

Everything went well for Aubameyang under Arsene Wenger, and he arguably enjoyed his best performances for the club under Unai Emery, who appointed Aubameyang as Arsenal’s new captain.  

It’s been a different story under Mikel Arteta, who’s desire to play a possession-based style hasn’t always suited Aubameyang.  

Under Arteta, Aubameyang has had a very different role. 

The Premier League golden boot winner was no longer the centre-forward of the team, but he initially still managed to maintain his high standard.  

As the season progressed, it became clear that playing Aubameyang as the left-winger was a decision that benefited other teammates, especially the left-back.  

He was inverted to the half-spaces and he occupied the right-back well, hence, he created room for the left-back who had fewer defensive duties due to opposition teams often not overlapping.   

Should Arsenal sell him?  

Aubameyang has also seen a dramatic drop in his goals and assists output, while also appearing less easy on the eye.  

Playing on the left limits his ability to take shots on goal, while Arteta’s desire to press does not suit his style of play.  

Perhaps most damaging of all, Arteta’s playing style doesn’t allow Aubameyang to utilise his greatest asset, his pace.  

Aubameyang often received the ball in his own half or with his back to goal during the 2020-21 season, leading to pundits such as Jamie Carragher and some of the braver fans of the club to suggest selling him may be what is best for the team.  

From a financial standpoint, it is vital Arsenal do not let another big star leave for nothing.  

Mesut Ozil is of course the standout example after he suffered a similar slump in form after being handed a large contract.  

It’s easy to forget though that this almost would have happened with Alexis Sanchez were it not for some superb business in the last week of the January transfer window in 2018.  

Arsenal cannot afford to let another big star move for free, especially when Aubameyang could still demand a high transfer fee for a 32-year-old. 

Who could replace him?  

Danny Ings, 28, playing for Southampton

If Arsenal sell Aubameyang, there would be a desperate need to replace him.  

Arsenal already have Alexandre Lacazette at the club as an option to replace the Gabon international, however, Lacazette has not been the most lethal in front of goal either.  

He’s scored 50 league goals for Arsenal in 128 appearances, less than his strike partner.  

This means that Arsenal will have to go into the transfer market to sign a replacement, and there are plenty of options. 

Danny Ings immediately springs to mind after the Southampton star scored 22 goals in the 2019-20 season and 12 goals in 29 appearances during 2020-21.  

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 24, is another option after a great season with Everton.  

He’s proven that he can not only hit the back of the net after scoring 16 goals in 33 appearances this season, but that he can offer a lot to the team.  

In conclusion, it may be time to let Aubameyang go, and use the money from his sale to invest heavily in other parts of the squad, and in a striker who better suits Mikel Arteta’s system.

Photo Credit: Getty Images