Arsenal have made the brutal decision to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captain's armband following a "disciplinary breach" last week.
The former Gunners skipper was absent from the weekend's comfortable victory against Southampton, with Mikel Arteta confirming it was due to something he did away from the pitch.
"He had a disciplinary breach, that applies to everybody. That's a non-negotiable and when that happens he’s out of the team," Arteta said on Saturday.
"Whatever happens in the dressing room, I cannot share. I am sorry. I’m telling you the reason, I cannot lie, it was that, this is where I stand. From my side, I will never [say what the breach was]."
So, on Tuesday morning, when Aubameyang was stripped off the captaincy at Arsenal, it did not really come as a surprise to supporters.
The north London club released a statement, that read: "Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday's match against West Ham United.
"We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow's match."
Aubameyang's future at Arsenal before this all happened looked uncertain, but the latest developments have surely had a big impact on whether he stays beyond the upcoming transfer windows.
The Gabon striker sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire at the end of next season and Barcelona are said to be sniffing around, with Xavi reportedly holding an interest in the former Borussia Dortmund forward.
According to Transfermarkt, Aubameyang is valued at £22.5million, despite there being less than two years remaining on his contract in north London.
However, with this latest discipline issue, Arsenal will perhaps consider offers even lower than that for their striker, which will be a big boost to Barcelona should they turn their interest into anything concrete.
Arteta refused to be drawn on whether this has an impact on Aubameyang's future, when speaking in his a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
When asked whether he will be sold next month, the Arsenal boss said: "All I can say right now is that we have made this decision, a really tough one. If I had to choose I wouldn't like to be here talking about it, but we had to make the decision."
So, Aubameyang will not be in the squad on Wednesday night for the clash with West Ham, but it remains to be seen whether he will be used by the Gunners for the remainder of the month as the hectic fixture schedule begins to kick in.
