DBasia.news – Arsenal will host West Ham United in Week 17 of the Premier League which will take place at the Emirates Stadium, Thursday (16/12) at 03.00 WIB. Ahead of the match, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was in the spotlight.
The 32-year-old forward is no longer captain of Arsenal after the club revoked him. The dismissal came following the indisciplinary attitude of Aubameyang who has joined the squad after leaving abroad.
Mikel Arteta has crossed out his name when Arsenal won 3-0 over Southampton last weekend in the Premier League. Now through Arsenal’s official website, Aubameyang’s captaincy has been officially revoked.
“Following his latest indisciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is no longer captain of our club, and will not be considered for selection in Wednesday’s game against West Ham United,” read a statement on Arsenal’s website.
“We expect all our players, especially our captain, to work by the rules and standards that we have set and agreed on. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s game.”
Arsenal no longer tolerates
the irresponsible attitude of the Gabon national team striker, because last March for the same reason Aubameyang also violated the rules related to protocol before the match.
Mikel Arteta’s Response
Aubameyang, signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, captained Arsenal in November 2019, replacing Granit Xhaka, who was sacked by Unai Emery following an uproar with supporters.
The removal of the captain’s armband from Aubameyang also contributed to his poor form this season, where he has only scored four goals in 14 league games and last scored in October.
Mikel Arteta also commented on it. Although it is with a heavy heart to be firm with Aubameyang, Arteta insists the decision must be taken in order to be an example to other players that the club is above all.
“We have made this decision which is unfortunately challenging. If I had to choose, I don’t want to sit here talking about it, but we have to do it,” Arteta said on BBC Sport.
“When we had to make that decision, it was because it was the right decision to defend the interests of the football club. For now, there is a lot to digest and a difficult decision to make, so we need a little time. It really hurts and he needs a little time to heal.”
Arsenal are still looking for a new captain replacement. Arteta also said that his players have accepted the decision for the sake of collectivity.
“We have a different leadership group and players nominated for captaincy, we will follow that,” added Arteta.
“This is a very unpleasant situation and this is not the time to make rash decisions.”
“They (the changing room) have accepted the decision. They know because they have committed to it and they demand that we want to take our culture, our demands, who we want as a club and how we want to represent this football club to a different level.”
“When those standards aren’t met, you know you can’t participate in our daily basic needs,” he explained.