Arsenal: Record-setting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang proves worth

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Stoke City, his fifth goal in his first six games, a record for the club. He is proving his worth.

It was a little surprising to see Arsenal thrust their hands into their pockets, haul out 56 million precious pounds, and hand it over to Borussia Dortmund, as well as shuttling Olivier Giroud across the Thames to a direct rival, and pay up for a character who does not exactly fit with their high-quality standards.

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And to compound the confusion, they signed a player of the same position and similar mould as their club-record addition of only six months prior. Yes, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a name that few fans would have turned their nose up at, he was one that didn’t quite fit with the narratives of the club.

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Well, on Sunday, in the 3-0 win against Stoke City which was undoubtedly and undeservedly polished by late goals, Aubameyang proved why Arsenal veered away from their usual transfer tactics to secure a player of truly world-class proportions. You see, what Aubameyang did is what all great strikers do: Scored when his team played poorly.

When service is flowing, the midfield is creative and fluid, and the movement is abundant and incisive, goals, for a centre-forward of even average acumen, anticipation and finishing ability, are not all that hard to come by. But when the play is lethargic and lacklustre, when passes are slow and misplaced, when the defence is organised and disciplined, that is when a striker who scores really shows his worth. That is what Aubameyang did on Sunday.

Arsenal ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. But after an hour, Stoke were not only holding out their hosts, but they looked rather easy in doing so. Then Aubameyang turned up, scoring twice, putting the game, irrefutably, to bed.

The first was just a penalty. I say ‘just’ because any player should be expected to convert a routine spot-kick, but there is still the element of composing oneself and confidently planting a shot that is accurate enough and powerful enough to beat the goalkeeper.

The second was a terrific, poacher’s goal. His movement, a slight drifting towards the far post as defenders and attackers got dragged to the near post, inevitably getting caught under the ball as Nacho Monreal flicked it into the penalty area, combined with the technique to slice a volley into the bottom far corner, was the perfect display of his goalscoring understanding. This is a player who knows how to score goals, and then has the skill to finish them.

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That is what Aubameyang brings: Goals, and even when the service is limited. He now has five in his first six Premier League games. That is an Arsenal record. He may well proceed to break many more.