Arsenal: Veiled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dig means little

Ilkay Gundogan has taken aim at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for how he engineered his Arsenal-shaped Borussia Dortmund exit. The veiled dig, though, means very little.

Arsenal’s club-record signing made quite a start to life in North London. Every part of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s performance against Everton glistened with his £56 million price tag. Blistering movement, ruthless finishing, astonishing speed. He was everything that he was billed.

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And many have gushed over his abilities, praising the immediate impact that he has had on the Gunners’ attack. But, as there has always been and always will be, there are still a few that have raised hesitations regarding his character.

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The latest of these is his former teammates Ilkay Gundogan. The now Manchester City midfielder, while not commenting on the astuteness of the addition from an Arsenal perspective, merely called into question the behaviour of the Gabon international during the closing stages of his tenure at Dortmund. In an interview with Bild Publication, Gundogan questioned whether he could have acted in the same way that Aubameyang did:

"“I don’t know if I could have done it like Auba did. At that time I was also criticised for my open change intentions at BVB. The reaction of the fans I understood a bit. But I only wanted to be honest and always gave everything for the club. Dortmund loses a very, very good player. I very much hope that now peace is restored. Because you need it to be successful in the Bundesliga. All the bickering was certainly not conducive for the performance of the team.”"

Gundogan’s veiled dig at Aubameyang, though, should have little significance for his Arsenal career. Yes, perhaps he did not behave in the most respectful and considerate of ways, especially considering all that Dortmund had done for him in catapulting him from prospective but raw talent to fully-fledged world star. And yes, perhaps there are some character concerns that Wenger will have to carefully manage, particularly if results do not quite go to plan and frustration begins to build.

But Gundogan’s complaint, while valid, need not be a concern for the future. Most pertinently, Aubameyang is already 28 — he will be 29 by the start of the next season. Even if you were to assume the worst and believe that the relationship between club and player were to break down, the realistic earliest that the club would be forced into selling is in 2019, when Aubameyang would be 30.

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Certainly, there should be trepidation regarding the controversy that Aubameyang could cause, as he has left in his wake at Dortmund. But there need not be the worry that has been present, even if Gundogan holds his own disgust.