Arsenal: 3 reasons to re-sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

2. He is at the caliber we want to be

As I’ve said previously, a big part of if we keep him or not will likely come down to our ability to get back into the Champions League. Someone of Aubameyang’s caliber isn’t going to be satisfied with the Europa League forever, no matter how much he believes in a project.

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You know why that is? Because Aubameyang is of an elite caliber—the caliber that we want to be at as a club. When you keep elite players, it’s with the understanding that you, yourselves, are elite. Otherwise they end up leaving and going somewhere better.

Losing Aubameyang deadens our value if not met with some sort of reaction. Even if you invest in youth and promise, you still lose a level of that caliber you want to be at simply by not retaining him. And for a club that’s clawing to get back to the heights that were commonplace under Arsene Wenger, that is a big deal.

So if you’re at all on the fence about this, consider what losing Aubameyang does to our international reputation (I’m considering it now). It takes a serious hit without him.

Most importantly, No. 1.