Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may even be Alexis Sanchez improvement

Arsenal are reportedly lining up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a possible replacement for Alexis Sanchez. However, such is the Borussia Dortmund striker’s quality, that he may even be an improvement.

Alexis Sanchez is seemingly nearing an Arsenal exit. After a year littered with frustrations and tantrums, delaying of contract talks, training ground bust-ups and sideline strops, Sanchez has just one more year remaining on his current deal and is unhappy with life at the Emirates.

Moreover, the slim chance that the Gunners had in being able to convince Sanchez to stay were only diminished further by their slipping out of the Champions League for the first time during Arsene Wenger’s tenure, a competition that Sanchez is yet to win and one that will most certainly be a major aim for his career.

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Given that he holds all the power at the negotiating table, it is likely that, if he wants to leave, which seems likely, then he will be able to force an exit. As such, given his 24 Premier League goals and 10 assists, compounded by his overall impact and influence on games, especially in the final third, a replacement in the transfer window will have to be found.

And such is Sanchez’s quality and importance, it will be difficult to even maintain status-quo, nevermind, find the improvements to the team are required to pose a challenge to Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur for the title. However, one name that has been rumoured as a possible option to explore could muster the unlikely result of improvement.

That man is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Borussia Dortmund centre-forward has been consistently excellent for many years now. In his four Bundesliga seasons at Dortmund, Aubameyang has scored 13 goals in 21 starts, 16 goals in 31 starts, 25 in 28 starts, and last season he scored 31 goals in 31 starts. In addition, in the past two seasons, he has scored 15 goals in 17 Champions League starts, proving that he can score goals against the best that Europe has to offer. That is a truly remarkable strike rate over a number of years.

Moreover, at 28 he is in the prime of his career and has conveyed a desire to leave Dortmund given that his chances of securing a big-money move are decreasing with every year. Whether the lack of Champions League football would hinder Arsenal’s chances or not, only time will tell. But Aubameyang is a world-class centre-forward, the type of signing that fans have been baying for after the club’s spouting of ambition without any action to support such statements of intent.

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In fact, such is his quality, that even with Sanchez departing, he may even improve the team.

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