Arsenal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: New deal or best sale

Arsenal are planning to offer new contracts to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. For the former especially, this summer must be a new deal or the best sale.

For far too long, the contracts of the star players at Arsenal have undermined their squad building. Under Arsene Wenger, the club allowed the deals of their key contributors to run into their final year or two. That left the Gunners in a tremendously weak negotiating position and, over the years, has cost them hundreds of millions of pounds.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The Big Season Review

Earlier this season, Raul Sanllehi, the new head of football, vowed to alter the way contracts were dealt with at the club. For the key players in the final two years of their deal, Arsenal will now immediately start negotiating extensions and new terms or sell them.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

This summer, there is one player that fits that category perfectly. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has two years remaining on his contract. He was also the top goalscorer for the team and is arguably the best player in the squad. Sanllehi’s new rule was made for situations like this.

In previous situations like with Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal chose not to sell when they had plenty of years remaining on their deals but also did not agree to extensions. They entered the final two years, and ultimately the final six months in all three cases — Robin van Persie, incidentally, is a slightly different case as he was not quite the same calibre of player with two years remaining on his contract, his transformation into world-class occurring as his contract wound down. In all three cases, vast sums were lost, either in being forced to pay bloated wages or losing assets on the cheap.

This time around, though, things will be handled differently. And, according to a report from Football.London, Sanllehi is already entering into discussions with Aubameyang, and his strike partner Alexandre Lacazette, regarding a new deal — Lacazette, incidentally, has three years remaining on his current deal but is younger and so has a greater value to protect.

In the case of Aubameyang, the equation for this summer’s business is simple: progress negotiations to the extent that you are completely confident that you can sign him to a new deal swiftly or get the best possible sale you can for him, which could be as much as £80 million in the right conditions.

There are arguments to be made about which course of action is better. I tend to veer towards selling him, if the price is right, but there are plenty of sound reasons for keeping him also. But one thing that is undeniable is that Arsenal must commit to one of these two paths this summer. If they were to enter his final two years, selling him in January or the summer could cost them as much as £30 or 40 million plus £200,000 per week in wages.

There are only two smart choices for Aubameyang: sign him to a new deal or sell him. Let’s hope that Sanllehi’s much-spouted new philosophy now takes action.