Arsenal have announced that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of his captaincy after a recent disciplinary breach.
Fans were expecting a decision to be made after he was left out of the matchday squad ahead of the clash with Southampton, where the Gunners came out 3-0 winners.
This decision taken by Mikel Arteta to strip the captaincy away from Aubameyang should put the board on red alert to sign a new striker and confirm that this area in particular is an urgent priority.
The club was already in need of bringing in a fresh player, and this should certainly speed up the process.
Aubameyang being punished for disciplinary issues also happened at Borussia Dortmund and it was a major reason why Arsenal were able to sign him in the January transfer window of 2018.
And it has happened again under Mikel Arteta. This is the second time that the Gabonese international has been punished for a breach of disciplinary rules.
With the breach occurring on multiple occasions, the Arsenal boss had no choice but to alter the captaincy, as keeping the striker as leader would have set a bad example for the rest of the squad.
Aubameyang left Borussia Dortmund months after being punished for breaking the rules, and now he could follow suit at Arsenal.
Even before the recent drama, the future of the 32-year-old was already being questioned due to his drop in form and the inability to find consistency with his performances.
This almost feels like a nail in the coffin for Aubameyang’s Arsenal career, and a new striker is an absolute must.
Forwards such as Jonathan David, Dusan Vlahvoic and Alexandar Isak have all been linked with the club, and it is now time for Edu to push through with one of these signings.
Aubameyang had an excellent start to life at Arsenal, but that is now all starting to spiral in what is seemingly becoming a bitter end.
Make sure you have subscribed to The Arsenal Way and the Fan Brands team along with plenty of your football.london favourites will be producing daily Arsenal content for you to enjoy including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews.
