Arsenal 2-0 West Ham: 5 talking points as Gunners go fourth

5. No Way Back for Aubameyang?

When the news dropped that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy it was hardly a surprise. Twice, that the fans were informed of, Aubameyang has breached club rules and turned up late. This is a captain of Arsenal Football Club, he should be a leader to the younger players in the dressing room and Arteta was well within his rights to strip the captain’s armband from him.

Aubameyang has been a superb player for the club, single-handedly winning that FA Cup against Chelsea and keeping the club afloat with his consistent flow of goals when others were found lacking. However, those have dried up and his form has warranted being dropped to the bench, irrespective of the other issues.

It is hard to envisage Aubameyang getting another start for Arsenal given the form others are in. The bigger problem now is what to do with him. No club in the world would take on a 32-year-old with his huge wages, which were at the time he more than deserved.

It does feel like the end for Aubameyang. A great servant for the club, his lack of understanding about the responsibilities to be a captain and how to present yourself as such has seen him be dropped by the wayside.

Say what you want about Xhaka, but the Swiss is a leader. Not the best player by any means, (for the most part) he understands his role when the armband is on. Unfortunately for Auba, his time at Arsenal looks all but doomed after his latest indiscretion and you can’t argue with Arteta’s decision one bit.

Especially not after a performance like that, even if it had nothing to do with the armband.