Arsenal: Sell Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang as quickly as possible

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reportedly ‘desperate to leave’ Arsenal. The Gunners should look to sell as quickly as they possibly can, for personal and footballing reasons.

No player is bigger than the club. It is a basic football adage that every fan knows, from the depths of Sunday league, amateur football to the glitzy, glamorous heights of the Premier League. But throughout the history of the sport, it has stood the test of time as a sure truism. And it will continue to do so.

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This week, as Arsenal prepare to unveil Mikel Arteta as their new head coach and embark on a new ‘new era’ in the post-Arsene Wenger world, news broke that ‘half the squad’ wanted to leave the club. In the report from Miguel Delaney in the Independent, there was one figure who was central to the growing revolt: club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

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Per Delaney, Aubameyang is ‘desperate to leave’ the club and is ‘actively’ searching for a way in which he can depart. Delaney does not go as far as to say that Aubameyang will leave this January, or even at the end of the year when he will turn 31 and have just one year remaining on his contract, one that he is refusing to extend, but the intention from the player is quite clear: he no longer wants to be at Arsenal.

In fairness to Aubameyang, you can see why. No Champions League for three-straight seasons, the prospects of regaining status in Europe’s elite competition now resting solely on the Europa League. A distant owner who seems unwilling to match the growing investments of rival teams, only leading to a further chasm between them. And now another new manager, another new system to get used to, positions to learn, and era to step into. At 30, you can see why he is looking for one final move in the prime of his career to a genuine contender.

But from the club’s perspective, Aubemayang’s attitude is unacceptable, if it is indeed the case. Not only is he a key player in the squad; he is the club captain, the leader of the dressing room, an apparent role model for the myriad of young prospects that are breaking through, especially in attacking positions. It is not a good look, and based on this alone, he should be sold.

There are footballing reasons to support the sale of Aubameyang, too. Such a suggestion is not based solely on hurt pride at the club being disrespected by its captain. Aubameyang may be the top goalscorer and arguable Player of the Season thus far, but his value is only depreciating and Arsenal could sure use the money his sale would bring at other positions.

It makes little sense to keep two high-paid centre-forwards when you can only play one and have serious needs throughout the squad. Given that Alexandre Lacazette is two years Aubameyang’s junior, cashing in on the former Dortmund attacker is the smartest move here. Lacazette can then man the centre-forward position, which he does superior to Aubameyang anyway, even if he scores fewer goals, and money is opened up to invest in other positions.

If a half-decent offer for Aubameyang comes in, Arsenal should be running to the bank. They should have been running to the bank in the summer, but that ship has now sailed. The dinghy is still there, but it will be leaving the harbour soon. Running out of time and with a mountain of reasons to sell, it is time for the Gunners to let Aubameyang leave.