Arsenal have controversially decided to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captaincy ahead of Wednesday night's game against West Ham United.
The Gabon international was left out of the squad to face Southampton at the weekend due to disciplinary reasons as head coach Mikel Arteta claimed that the club must be consistent with such matters.
“Unfortunately, due to a disciplinary breach", Arteta said when asked why Aubameyang was dropped against the Saints.
”I think we have been very consistent, there are non-negotiables we have set as a club and I think we have been very consistent.”
However, the former Borussia Dortmund striker wasn't missed as the Gunners defeated Ralph Hasenhuttl's side 3-0 thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel.
After the full-time whistle, Arteta refused to go into the details, saying: “It was a disciplinary breach and that’s why he was out of the squad."
Now, the club have confirmed that the 32-year-old will be relieved of his captaincy duties and won't be in the squad to face the Hammers on Wednesday evening.
football.london understands that there are a number of candidates to take over from Aubameyang, including Martin Odegaard, Alexandre Lacazette, Benjamin White and Kieran Tierney.
It is not the first time in recent years that there has been problems surrounding an Arsenal skipper. Granit Xhaka was also stripped as captain back in November 2019 after reacting badly to jeering fans during a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.
At the time, it appeared that Xhaka's career at the Emirates Stadium was over, although, then-manager Unai Emery was sacked shortly after, before Arteta reintegrated the Swiss international back into the starting lineup.
However, another managerial change seems unlikely, which begs the question: is there a way back for Aubameyang?
The Athletic reported that the veteran frontman was granted permission to travel to France last Wednesday to visit his mother on the proviso that he returned that night and therefore reported for training on Thursday.
Instead, Aubameyang apparently returned early on Thursday morning before reporting to the club's London Colney training ground, with there said to be further complications surrounding COVID-19 protocols.
The result was the club's highest-paid player watching on against Southampton as his teammates secured their eighth Premier League victory of the season.
It was a painfully familiar sight for Arsenal fans, who became accustomed to watching mercurial playmaker Mesut Ozil dominate headlines whilst sitting in the reserves during the first half of the 2020/21 campaign.
Ozil didn't feature once for the Gunners last season as supporters often took to social media to criticise Arteta after defeats before the club eventually parted ways with the former German international in January of this year.
Considering Aubameyang's huge influence on the dressing room, with the experienced forward thought to be close to the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, it may make sense to try and sell him in the winter window.
The 32-year-old is currently valued at £22.5million on Transfermarkt but the club's decision to go public with the fallout will undoubtedly see his value drop in the coming weeks.
Now seems like the perfect time for the Gunners to invest heavily in the centre-forward department, with strikers Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette also both into the final seven months of their respective deals with the north Londoners.
Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Fiorentina frontman Dusan Vlahovic have both been mooted as potential targets and getting Aubameyang's reported £350,000 a week salary off the wage bill would go a long way to helping finance a deal for a top-class forward.
Arteta will need to learn lessons from his handling of the aforementioned Ozil situation as the longer he leaves Aubameyang in the cold, the more it could hamper his team.
In short, the Spaniard must either attempt to offload him in the New Year or reintegrate him into the fold as soon as possible.
