Arsenal: 3 reasons Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving for nothing can be good

2. The replacements are already here

The biggest issue with letting major players leave for free is that you then have to spend to replace them, and that spending comes out of the club’s pocket, not funds that have been raised through intelligent dealing in the transfer market.

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Normally, if a player of Aubameyang’s calibre and importance was to leave for nothing, Arsenal would likely have to spend £50-plus million to find a suitable replacement. That is not a sustainable way to run a football club, as the Gunners have previously encountered — they still haven’t been able to replace either Alexis Sanchez or Aaron Ramsey, who left on the cheap due to their contract situations.

However, in Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal might already have their replacements at the club. The two young prospects have slowly worked their way into the attacking rotation this season, showing terrific goalscoring abilities. They could indeed be the future of Arsenal’s attacking positions.

The difficulty is readiness. They are another year or two of development from being ready to be relied upon as starting options in the front three throughout an entire season. However, keep Aubameyang for another season and allow them to work their way into the first team slowly, the succession plan is already in place. No £100 million signing required. No massive investments. Aubameyang can be replaced for free, so why is there a desperate need to sell?