Why troublemaker Aubameyang is set to STAY at Arsenal
Robin Bairner
- 7 Jan 2022 21:04 GMT
- 3 min read
Arsenal were plunged into a state of internal crisis in December when captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had to be disciplined by the club after breaching protocols.
Aubameyang was surprisingly not involved for the Gunners’ Premier League fixture against Everton because of what emerged later as a disciplinary issue.
Indeed, the Gabon international has been stripped of the captaincy - a decision that manager Mikel Areta described as “painful” - and has not featured for the club since 6 December.
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Aubameyang, who is presently with Gabon at the Africa Cup of Nations, is likely to remain at the Gunners when the transfer window closes on January 31.
So why will he still be on Arsenal’s books?
Arsenal’s Aubameyang headache
The short answer is that there are simply no clubs willing to match his wage demands, according to Sky Sports.
Of course, there has been reported interest in the 32-year-old forward, with Barcelona having made overtures to sign him. The Catalan side, however, are in the midst of a financial crisis that has made it difficult for them to register new arrivals Dani Alves and Ferran Torres.
Even if the Camp Nou side could buy the former Dortmund hitman, it is unlikely that in their current state they would be willing to match his present salary, which is set to be the decisive stumbling block for any deal.
Aubameyang is lavishly paid by the Emirates Stadium side, scooping a reported £13 million per year. This makes him their top earner.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, the striker has a contract that runs until 2023, meaning they face a repeat of the Mesut Ozil situation, whereby they had one of their big stars contributing very little to the first-team cause.
For this impasse to be broken, he would likely have to accept an inferior salary at another club.
Aubameyang, then, is likely to be Arsenal’s problem until the summer at least.
