Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was surprisingly left out of Arsenal’s first XI which faced Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday. And according to the manager, the Gabon international was put on the bench because he breached the club’s pre-match protocol.
Arteta said: “Because for me they are the foundation and the platform that we can build something medium and long-term that is sustainable and that can bring us joy and happiness.
“Without that, I don’t believe that it would happen. That’s why I keep talking about it and acting about it.
“I made what I thought was the right decision and we draw a line there and now let’s move on again. We know how important Auba is for us and for the the club and that’s it. It’s been dealt with, now let’s move on.”
This decision came as a major shock to a lot of Arsenal fans but thankfully, the Gunners have come out of this match with all three points so there won’t be too much debate.
But Aubameyang personally could be in a bit of trouble since according to The Athletic, the forward left the stadium after just 23 minutes from the final whistle, without taking part in the warm-down routine.
An excerpt from the report states that at 6.46pm ‘a Ferrari engine echoed around the Emirates Stadium arena’ with Aubameyang leaving ‘just 23 minutes after the full-time whistle had blown’.
It’s still unclear as to how Mikel Arteta will deal with this but The Athletic has also stated that there are not likely to be any long-term repercussions. Hopefully, there will be no major fuss about this incident in the coming days but the Arsenal manager has clearly received a lot of backing from former Gunners and pundits.
Lee Dixon tweeted: “Arteta was right to drop Aubameyang in my book. Regardless of the result. The integrity of the team and its’ values have to be maintained. No one is bigger than the group. It has to be that way IMO,”
Arteta was right to drop Aub in my book. Regardless of the result. The integrity of the team and its values have to be maintained. No one bigger than the group. It has to be that way IMO @Arsenal
— Lee Dixon 💙 (@LeeDixon2) March 14, 2021
Next up, Arsenal will take on Olympiacos in the Europa League and given that they hold a 3-1 advantage from the first leg, Aubameyang might genuinely be rested for this one.
But it will be interesting to see what Arteta does when his side take on West Ham United in the Premier League next weekend.
