Aubameyang stripped of Arsenal captaincy, dropped for game

ARSENAL STRIPPED Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captaincy today after another disciplinary breach, saying the striker had not worked “to the rules and standards” set by the club.

Aubameyang, Arsenal’s highest-paid player, was also told he would not be considered for selection for the English Premier League game against West Ham tomorrow.

The Gabon striker was left out for the 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday because of what manager Mikel Arteta described as a “disciplinary breach”. Aubameyang reportedly was allowed by the club to travel to France for a family matter last week, after the 2-1 loss at Everton on December 6 which he started as a substitute, but returned a day later than agreed.

Arteta said it was a “really unpleasant situation” but the decision was taken in a bid to “build that trust and strong culture around the club”.

“They have demanded that we ... take our culture, our demands and who we want to be as a club — and how we want to represent this football club — to a different level,” Arteta said of his squad. “And when those standards are not met, you know you cannot participate on a daily basis.”

Aubameyang was left out of the team for the north London derby against Tottenham in March because of a “disciplinary issue”, according to Arteta at the time. He was reported to have been late for training on that occasion.

Arteta did not say if there had been other breaches of discipline by Aubameyang.

“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed,” Arsenal said in a short statement.

“We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.”

Aubameyang has just four goals in 14 Premier League games this season after signing a three-year contract extension last year that made him the team’s highest-paid player.

He was made captain by Arteta’s predecessor, Unai Emery, after Granit Xhaka was stripped of the honour in November 2019 following his angry reaction to being booed by Arsenal fans after being substituted in a league game.

Xhaka is part of a recently formed “leadership group” at the club which also involves French striker Alexandre Lacazette, who was captain against Southampton.

Whoever replaces Aubameyang as captain on a permanent basis will be Arsenal’s 11th in 14 years, and Arteta said it was a significant role because of the team’s “multi-racial dressing room that needs a lot of attention and different feelings and different languages”.

“That leadership group is really strong, is the one that communicates with myself and the coaching staff and with the club in a really clear and strong way, and we will continue like that,” Arteta said.

“That is one of the decisions we made — to make that group a little bit better and try to educate them and to get the right feedback all the time and build that trust and strong culture around the club.”

Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 and his latest contract runs to the summer of 2023.

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