Keep door open for Aubameyang, Arsenal legend tells Arteta

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Arsenal career should not necessarily be over, according to a legend of the club.

Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy this week following a disciplinary issue that saw him dropped for the recent encounters against Southampton and West Ham.

On Friday, it was reported that he was no longer training with the first-team squad, suggesting that the Gunners are open to washing their hands of the Gabon international forward.

Why Aubameyang should not be dumped

Aubameyang has been involved in such controversy previously, leading to many suggesting that this is the correct course of action for the club.

Barcelona have been cited as a potential destination for the forward, although it appears that they are now primed to sign Edinson Cavani from Manchester United instead.

Martin Keown, who won three Premier League titles with the Gunners in an 11-year stint at the club, has said, however, that Arsenal should be willing to let the forward back into the fold if he proves himself worthy.

“I understand why the captaincy was taken away from Aubameyang but I feel a bridge should be built between the club, the manager and the player to get him back onto the pitch,” Keown told Talksport.

“The team did exceptionally well on Tuesday night, they’ve moved into the top four, but they’ve got Leeds away with lots of games over Christmas to come so you want him back in the fold as quickly as possible.

“I think back to the William Gallas situation when he was stripped of the captaincy. They gave him a pathway for him to come back into the team so I can’t see why that can’t happen here.

“I sincerely hope it’s not the club blocking Aubameyang coming back in. There’s got to be a path for the player to come back at some point.”

Arsenal travel to Elland Road to face Leeds on Saturday in one of the few Premier League matches that has avoided a Covid postponement, with Aubameyang not expected to be among their number.