Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been urged to leave Arsenal by the president of the Gabon Football Association.
Aubameyang, 30, has a contract with the Gunners until next summer and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed he is desperate for the Gabonese striker to stay at the Emirates Stadium amid talk of Barcelona, Inter Milan, Man United and others ready to sign the prolific forward this summer.
The Gabon FA president, Pierre Alain Mounguengui, told ESPN that now is the right time for Aubameyang to move on.
“Right now, he’s at Arsenal, and he’s won nothing here, so it’s a collective failing,” Mounguengui said. “I don’t want to say that Arsenal aren’t ambitious, but Arsenal don’t have ambitions as high as some other clubs as far as Europe is concerned. If Pierre could secure a contract with a more ambitious club, he’d definitely find his place there. All Gabonese people see Aubameyang at this level, where he can now end his career at a major club and, above all, beyond individual trophies, to bring home a major competition.”
Has he got a point?
Aubameyang has certainly delivered since arriving at Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, with 49 goals in 75 Premier League appearances. Arteta has deployed him on the left wing in recent months and he continues to score and lead by example as Arsenal remain in the FA Cup and are eight points off the top four, albeit with a game in hand.
The striker has won a domestic cup at both Borussia Dortmund (also, two German Super Cups) and Saint-Etienne but that’s it from a club perspective throughout his career.
These comments bring about the age old debate: is a career all about winning trophies? Many will say it is and there is no wrong answer here. It is all about what Aubameyang values. If he wants to be a hero, score plenty of goals and star in the Premier League each week he should stay at Arsenal where he will be their main man for at least the next few seasons.
If he wants to win trophies consistently he should leave for Barcelona or another super club. Arsenal are rebuilding under Arteta and he wants Aubameyang to be a key part of it. The versatile forward probably has another four to five seasons left in him and his next contract will likely be the last big deal of his career. Over to you, Auba.
