Mikel Arteta has revealed he was motivated by his moral upbringing after stripping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the Arsenal captaincy.
The Gunners head coach gave no guarantees that the Gabon star will not be sold in January after Aubameyang’s latest “disciplinary breach”.
The £56m striker was dropped for the Southampton game after returning late from an authorised trip abroad to see his ill mother.
He has now also been axed for the Premier League showdown with West Ham United and had the armband permanently removed. Arteta admitted the affair was “painful” and he took the action with “sadness”.
But when asked what inspires his principled management style, the former Arsenal captain said: “First of all, it is the way I was raised with my parents and my family entourage.
"Then it is experiences I had in life, obviously throughout my life and my career as a player with different managers and people that admired.
"This is with my beliefs and thankfully my beliefs and values are completely shared with the club values.
"That is why as well I decided to belong here and take the step to become the manager here, because I believe that I could represent. So what I cannot do is fail to do that, because then it wouldn’t be me.”
Aubameyang replaced Granit Xhaka as captain in 2019 after the Swiss abused Arsenal fans after his substitution against Crystal Palace.
The skipper was decided by a vote among player under previous boss Unai Emery. Alex Lacazette was captain against Southampton but he could be leaving the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Arteta, who insisted he did not want to make a "rash decision", added: “There are so many different ways to do it. Sometimes the manager can decide the captain, or can decide the second or third captain, and the group has to defend who is going to represent them in that dressing room. They are good [ways] and they can all work if you have the right people.
“I have seen and have participated on both of them, and at the end what is important is not the journey or the destination. The important thing is the company, that’s the most important thing.”
The Aubameyang affair has blown up just before hosting West Ham where a win will see them leapfrog their London rivals into the final Champions League place.
“It’s a big game because of the position they are in, and the position we want to be in,” said Arteta.
”I’m hoping that the team is going to get out there with the fire in their eyes and knowing the importance of the game.
"West Ham are within catching distance and we play at home in front of our people and we expect a great performance and a great result.”
