Arsenal: Selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only works one way

There have been suggestions that Manchester United may make a move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. If Arsenal were to sell him, this is not the way it works.

In recent days, there have been growing suggestions that Arsenal might consider selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonian was the Gunners’ top goalscorer last season with 31 goals in all competitions. It might not seemingly make much sense to sell that kind of player.

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However, there are some solid reasons for moving on from Aubameyang. The first, and most important, is his position. Aubameyang is a centre-forward. So is Arsenal’s Player of the Season, Alexandre Lacazette, who is a more complete all-round attacker than his best mate.

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Last season, Unai Emery attempted to squeeze both into the same team. It worked to varying degrees. The 3-5-2 system that ended the year did have some success but was ultimately exploited by Chelsea in the Europa League final. The 4-4-2 also produced some nice performances, but it left the team shorthanded on the flanks. Modern football requires three in central midfield, and it is very difficult to play that with two centre-forwards. Perhaps moving on from one of the two strikers and reinvesting that money in other positions would prove wise.

The second reason is finance. Aubameyang is 30 years of age and is set to enter the final two years of his contract. If Arsenal do want to cash in on him, they have to sell him this summer. At 31 and with one year to run on his current deal, the chance to recoup serious value will have passed. It has to be this summer.

That said, if Aubameyang is to be sold this summer, the structure of the deal must be absolutely spot on. Selling for selling’s sake makes no sense whatsoever. It must be conducted smartly and properly, and that does not involve selling to direct rivals Manchester United, as has been muted.

As we have seen in the past with players like Robin van Persie, selling to your rivals rarely ends well, even if they are towards the back end of their peak as Aubameyang is. If Arsenal really were thinking of selling him, they can only be considering a move abroad. Allowing him to remain in the Premier League would be complete foolishness.

Even more than that, he must be sold for the right price. The primary motivation for allowing Aubameyang to leave is that he is an asset that could fund investment in other positions. There is not much point in doing that if you sell him on the cheap.

All of this leads to one clear lesson: If Aubameyang is to be sold, it must be done right. And if history is anything to go by, that is not necessarily going to happen.