Next to impossible for Aubameyang to get back at Arsenal – Pennant

Former Arsenal player Jermaine Pennant has ruled out hope for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang making a comeback to the club.

The 32-year-old Gabon international is yet to play for the Gunners in the last 10 matches in all competitions after he was accused of an alleged breach of discipline by manager Mikel Arteta and was later stripped of the club's captaincy.

His last appearance for the Gunners came in the 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park on December 6 and despite returning home early from the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, he was not considered as Arsenal battled it out to a 0-0 draw against Burnley at Emirates Stadium in their last league assignment.

With the Premier League transfer window set to close on Monday, 39-year-old Pennant, who managed 12 appearances for the North London side and scored three goals, feels it is time for the former Borrusia Dortmund player to get a new team.

“If I was Pierre, the one thing I would be looking at is to getting first-team football,” Pennant told BestofBets.com. “He’s obviously not required at Arsenal, he's not really playing and I think that's clear now.

“Having been stripped of the captaincy - it’s next to impossible to get back in. However, he’s a good player, he’s a great striker, and I'm sure he'll want to be going to play in the big competitions.”

Pennant, who also played for Liverpool in the Premier League, further feels Aubameyang will make a big mistake if he moves to Saudi Arabia after reports emerged last week that Al Nassr were interested in his services.

“As I said, he's not getting any younger, so for his career, he needs to find a club that's willing to take him,” Pennant continued. “A good club, good level, and I feel Saudi Arabia would be going backwards.

“No disrespect to Saudi Arabia, I think that will be a kind of league you'll go to towards the end of your career, where I think Pierre is 32, so very much in his prime.

“However, although Pierre is a great footballer, something really bad obviously happened at Arsenal - serious enough to strip him of captaincy - and this may work as a deterrent for some clubs.”

On whether Aubameyang should sign for Everton, Pennant said: “But…there will be some teams out there, such as Everton, who require a big name striker to help them. So, that can play in his favour, because he's a big name, and he can score goals.

“So, it might not be a top top-tier team, but middle tier, and he shouldn't find a problem there, regardless of what's gone on at Arsenal, if he comes out saying, “I just wanna play, I just want to prove, I want to get back into things, they should take him.

“And considering the problems Everton are faced with at the moment, Pierre-Emerick could be just what they need to help them out of relegation fears.”