Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may say one thing

This week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has said that he is happy at Arsenal. But while he may publicly say he is pleased, his actions tell another perfectly justified narrative.

For the new Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, the great rebuilding process will commence this summer window. While definite progress has been made in recent months under the Spaniard’s guidance, there is a limit to what he can get out of the current players. The summer transfer window offers the first chance to truly add key talent to a squad that desperately requires some elite individuals.

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But at the heart of this impending overhaul is the future of a player already at the club, not one who may well join. For all of the talk of players that may arrive in north London, it is the future of club captain and top goalscorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that will be the first domino to fall.

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At present, Aubameyang’s future is very much up in the air. The 30-year-old has just one year remaining on his contract at the end of this current season, will be 31 by the start of the next season, and could be a sale candidate if Arsenal want to cash in on his value to reinvest in other areas in the squad. There is plenty to decide between now and the summer, that is for sure.

And at the heart of the problem is the own desires of Aubameyang. Does he want to progress to a bigger, more competitive team, one that has a realistic chance of winning league titles, one that will play in the Champions League, which the Gunners very well might not for the fourth-straight season?

This week, Aubameyang was asked whether he was happy at the Emirates. His answer was somewhat emphatic (bear in mind this came through official club media channels so he is hardly going to be negative about the club):

"“It means a lot [to play here]. When I was younger I used to watch Arsenal because they always had great players and they won trophies as well. I think it is really a pleasure to be here, I am really happy – that’s my feeling.”"

But dig a little deeper into the interview and while Aubameyang might be happy at the club, that does not mean he wants to remain there beyond the summer. Later in the interview, Aubameyang is asked for the following question: ‘You are somebody who has got a real connection with the fans. In the time that you have been here, you have managed to build a great bond with the Arsenal fans, both on the pitch and away from the pitch. So, what does the future hold for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?’ His answer completely ignores the main point of the question:

"“I love the fans here. On my Insta, I am happy I have them because after this miss [against Olympiacos] everyone could say ‘he killed us today’ but [instead] everybody sent me messages to say ‘keep your head up’ and stuff like that, so I am just happy to have them and happy with them.”"

It does not take much to read between the lines: Aubameyang had no intention of answering the question of his future because he either does not know what his future holds or does know what it holds and does not want to say. Either way, it does not suggest that he is ready to commit the latter years of his prime to staying at the Emirates.

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Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts here, Champions League qualification chief among them. But Aubameyang is being noticeably coy about his future, even if he says that he is happy at the club. For the star striker’s future, then, and the subsequent Arsenal build, there is still plenty to be determined.

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