Arsenal rescind captaincy from Aubameyang after a disciplinary issue

Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of his captaincy of the club following disciplinary issues. The player will not be called upon to feature in the game against fellow London club West Ham United in midweek. 

Here is what Arsenal said about the matter in a statement: 

“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.”

What has gone wrong with Aubameyang?

The Gabon international has been Arsenal’s best player over the last few years. But things have not been working out for him since he signed a new contract with the Gunners in September 2020. This season, he only has four goals for the Gunners in 14 appearances for them so far. 

Mikel Arteta no longer views the player as an automatic starter, and showed that he could manage his team without the forward as well. Arsenal managed to come away with a 3-0 win against Southampton this past weekend, and Aubameyang was not involved in the result. 

Following the disciplinary breach, Aubameyang was asked not to report for training. He has been training alone to keep himself fit, and Mikel Arteta’s man management skills have been called into question once more. The main question here is whether or not the matter had to be dealt with publicly.