(Football news) Arsenal in a statement announced that the club had stripped club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of his position. The statement also said that he won't be involved in the game against West Ham. The decision came after the striker was dropped from the match against Southampton after the disciplinary breach. That wasn't the 1st time under Mikel Arteta's reign that Aubameyang had been found guilty.
The club was very clear about it's standards in the statement and Mikel Arteta in a press conference explained that the decision is very difficult but it is for the benefit of the club. When asked about Aubameyang's future, the Spaniard replied that the breach has hurt him because of his good relationship with the former captain and it will take time to heal. The Gabon player could be on his way out in January amidst Barcelona rumors. The move to immediately act on the situation and put out a public statement was very bold and not something Arsenal would usually do.
Having said that, it had been coming for a long time. Fans of the London club weren't happy with the way Aubameyang led the team in a very timid fashion. Ever since the forward signed his new mega money contract with the club his numbers have dropped massively. The pressure of captaincy may have something to do with it. In a recent interview, Aubameyang hailed himself as the coolest captain in the world which didn't go down well with the fans because the club was struggling to perform well.
The captaincy curse at Arsenal continues as this is the 2nd consecutive time they have sacked their skipper and has been a longstanding issue even during the Arsene Wenger days. Before this incident, Granit Xhaka was sacked because of an on field incident where he reacted aggressively to getting booed by Arsenal fans. Captains before that were Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertersacker, Mikel Arteta and Thomas Vermaelen who were in and out of the team due to inconsistent performances or injuries. Robin Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and William Gallas were captains before that but controversially left the club. Van Persie and Gallas left for domestic rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur while Fabregas left for European rivals FC Barcelona. The trio have since publicly criticized the clubs strategy which is not something one would expect from a current or former club captain. The days of captains like Theirry Henry, Pattrick Vieira and Toni Adams seem like an eternity ago.
Mikel Arteta has also said that he has a good group of leaders out of which he will select one. The manager mentioned Granit Xhaka which would definitely not go down well with Arsenal fans after what happened the last time he was captain. The other names thrown around are Gabriel, Aaron Ramsdale, Martin Odegaard and Keiran Tierney. It was Alexander Lacazette who donned the armband against Southampton but given that he is in the final 7 months of his contract it is unlikely that he will be made the permanent captain. It is very crucial for Arsenal to get this decision right for the long term and break the captaincy curse. They have a very young squad which means the captain will be young.
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