Arsenal proposed Aubameyang & Dembele swap with Barcelona

Arsenal Won’t Make an Aubameyang & Dembele transfer swap

The summer transfer business at Arsenal wasn’t just about bringing in younger players, there was also an emphasis on lowering the wage bill, something the club did terrifically well and was key in the signings they brought to north London.

Considering the money forked out for him, Benjamin White, for example, is on a fairly modest wage in comparison to what Arsenal have usually parted ways with. As for Aubameyang, he is both the oldest and highest paid at the club. With a salary said to be in the region of £250k-per-week with an additional £100k in various bonuses, he is the anomaly in the team.

There are others on hefty wages too, but none quite like Aubameyang. It’s money Arsenal don’t want to be paying again, which makes the idea of swapping Aubameyang for another player on similarly substantial wages less plausible. Not only that, but Dembele would be put on a contract extending well beyond the 18 months left on the Gabon internationals.

Arsenal will be saddling themselves with a similarly restricting financial situation.

As for football matters, the glaringly obvious concern is the mountain of injuries that Dembele has picked up since his time in Catalonia. It’s now 13 separate setbacks, seven of which have related to his hamstrings. They account for 100 missed matches in four and a bit seasons.

You can see this red flag from the moon.

He also doesn’t boast the best reputation when it comes to his attitude. Known for poor punctuality (how many hazard signs do you want?) late night parties, missing training unannounced and generally disrespecting club rules, he is precisely what Arsenal don’t want. Talent or no talent, the culture at the club needs maintaining, hence this whole situation being as it is in the first place.

This won’t be the first and it won’t be the last time intermediaries try to manufacture moves. They were heavily involved over the summer with the James Maddison rumours, and with a superstar name like Aubameyang in the mix there will be more efforts made along the lines of this particular swap.

But we can firmly put the breaks on this happening.