Mikel Arteta defied Arsenal board to banish Aubameyang
Suraj Radia
- 9 Aug 2022 22:47 BST
- 3 min read
Mikel Arteta went against the Arsenal board to force former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubamyeang out of the club after a string of disciplinary issues.
The Arsenal manager's hard line with Aubameyang last season was seen in the Amazon docuseries All or Nothing and the striker was stripped of the captaincy before he joined Barcelona in January.
Arsenal staff kept a dossier on Aubameyang, detailing all the times he was late among other incidents and Arteta was insistent on following the values of himself and the club.
However, Arsenal executives were uneasy at the idea of exiling a player on £350,000-a-week and believed that, with no interest from other clubs in Aubameyang, the situation would leave an unhappy personality in the squad.
In spite of the concerns of his superiors, Arteta was relentless in his decision and the club ultimately paid the striker £7 million to leave, as well as a salary of £230,000-a-week until the end of the season.
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Respect: it's all or nothing for Arteta
Arteta spoke in the series about the trust disappearing between him and Aubameyang and admitted his decision was based on three non-negotiable concepts - respect, commitment and passion.
He also claimed terms of engagement in Aubameyang's contract were broken with his discipline and that he was determined to change the culture at the club.
Arteta to a member of staff on evidence against Aubameyang: “This is why I have everything documented with the dates, the times, how & why it happened, because if one day it is needed. He has been late many times. The club has got a tradition. When you get paid that much money.” https://t.co/6WuMrp2reh
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 9, 2022
Arteta's decision was spoken about between players, with many understanding the stance despite also hoping for reconciliation between the pair.
However, Arteta elaborated on his philosophy in a tense conversation with club doctor Gary O'Driscoll.
"What do you have to do? What do you do?" Arteta asked of the doctor. "If you let it go… it's OK? What happened… in the last 10 years? Let it go… the next one the same… the next one the same.
"In Spain, it is called 'casa pepe'… everyone does whatever he f*****g wants."
