Arsenal have confirmed that Henrikh Mkhitarayan will not be travelling to with the squad later this month when the club take on Chelsea in the Europa League final.
The final is being played in Azerbaijan and since Henrikh Mkhitaryan is an Armenian citizen there is a risk of him playing in Baku due to the political tensions between the countries.
The likes of UEFA and the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry had offered assurances that all precautions would be made in case Henrikh Mkhitaryan chooses to play at the Baku Olympic Stadium vs Chelsea.
But despite that the playmaker has decided not to make the journey.
And speaking about his player’s decision, Unai Emery claimed that he perfectly understood the reason.
Here’s why:
“It’s bad news but we cannot do anything for this issue, it’s a very personal decision and we need to respect him,” Emery said to the club’s official website.
“I don’t understand the political problems now, but I must respect [his decision].
“I spoke this morning with Mkhitaryan and it’s a personal decision. I respect him. He wants to play to help us by being with the team but they spoke, both him and his family, and decided not to go.
“I come from the Basque Country and we had a big political problem that finished five or six years ago, and I can understand it is a very personal decision for his family and also thinking in their country.
“I cannot push him to come with us because I respect him. For me, it is very important if he is with us for the match to help with his quality and capacity, but this issue is not in my hands, but I respect his decision 100 per cent.”
The absence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan will surely be great news for Chelsea since the Armenian has been in pretty decent form during the past couple of months. Also with him not making the trip to Baku, Unai Emery also loses the option of a first team regular.
