Aubameyang’s career has been a great start at Barcelona. This leads to the inevitable question of how he would have fared at Arsenal. Gunners legend Petit is still unsure what happened.
The Arsenal period
Aubameyang, an Arsenal captain, made 163 appearances and scored 92 goals. However, in December 2021, he was totally removed by Mikel Arteta because he had broken club discipline.
Petit still puzzles over the story of how the bridge was destroyed between the two sides. Petit, 32, left English football in February for Camp Nou.
Petit answered Enough Football’s question about Arsenal allowing such an exceptional player to leave. He said, “Aubameyang was a goal scorer no matter what team he was with – Dortmund Saint-Etienne Arsenal – but he got worse at Arsenal in later years.”
“He has the ability to score goals for any team, no matter what – it doesn’t matter if you are playing for Barcelona, Arsenal, or Dortmund. He is strong and has shown it for many years.”
“You cannot judge Aubameyang based on what he did during the last months of his Arsenal contract. I think you need to see his entire career. His record speaks for itself if you take a look at it.”
“It is not surprising that he transformed himself and adjusted to his new environment. He had the right team at Barcelona. Although it’s a different game style, he is able to score goals and has high tactical skills. His ability to return to his old form quickly and his quickness surprised me.
“I don’t know what happened at Arsenal. What exactly happened?” Could someone please explain? I still don’t understand. Everybody says Aubameyang has made changes since signing his long-term contract. So why is he back to his old self?
Performance at Barca
Aubameyang has made 11 appearances for Barca so far, scoring nine goals. Many believe Arsenal should have done more than just letting him go as a free agent to address the issues at the time.
Petit isn’t surprised that the Gunners are now without an effective goal scorer, despite the fact that they don’t have one. He is not a good leader and his mentality is similar. As captain, you have to take responsibility for the club, players, and fans. Arteta lost patience because of Aubameyang’s mistakes.
“Maybe they had an argument and their relationship wasn’t strong enough. Captains must send messages to their fellow captains. This is no longer the case. Therefore, I am not surprised that Aubameyang has left the club.”
“I am just disappointed by the outcome of the story between Aubameyang & Arsenal. It would have been different for him and the club. Arteta did the right thing. Arteta did the right thing and made the right choice. Arteta is a great example of ruthlessness, even when it comes down to his captain.
He made the right choice when things like this happen in the dressing area. If you do this to your captain, you are sending a signal to all of the other men in the room.
Although losing Aubameyang is a bad thing for Arsenal, Arsenal’s performance since the start of the season has been improving each week. It’s almost like Arsenal is reborn. They have become a strong Premier League team and are playing as they used to.
“Right now, with Aubameyang & Arsenal, I believe it’s a win-win. Aubameyang is enjoying a renaissance at Barcelona, and he’s becoming a top player once again. Arsenal is also doing well. Although it was complicated, both sides won in the end.
Arsenal’s options
Arsenal is expected to buy strikers this summer after the departure of Aubameyang, and the contracts of Lacazette & Nketiah expire.
Petit thinks the Gunners must strengthen their forward line. He said: “Why not?” Arsenal’s sake, I wish so. It’s not surprising that Liverpool and Manchester City are among the Premier League’s top scorers. Three Liverpool scorers are in the top 10, while Tottenham has two.
“When you consider all that, City has a lot of midfielders because they don’t play with strikers as often and have so many midfielders who can score 10 to fifteen goals per season.”
“Arsenal has Saka, Erdgau, and Smith-Rowe, and they’re improving. But if they want the best, they will need to be able to compete with the top teams of the Premier League, and every game against Liverpool and Manchester City is against them – they will need a top scorer.”
“In the meantime, I hope Arsenal offers Lacazette an extension because he has been doing well with Saka, Erdgau, and Smith-Rowe. They need a different type of striker that can score goals every week to be able to compete for the last level.
