Aubameyang puts his Arsenal future in the balance

It is not unusual for players to suddenly desire to leave a club. History is replete with instances where players get fed up with their club and demand a move away. Recently, Willian revealed his pain while at Arsenal and confessed he wanted to leave the club after just three months. Paul Pogba is another player that has angled for a move away from Manchester United.

When a player is unhappy, his output deteriorates, and he may want to leave the club. Playing style, lack of regular minutes, falling out with the gaffer are some reasons that could encourage a player to leave a club.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had a recent run-in with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and is weighing up his options ahead of the January transfer window.

Aubameyang ready to leave Arsenal?

There is an ongoing battle between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, with Arsenal fans lining up behind the manager. The situation has become untenable for Aubameyang. According to recent reports, he is weighing up his options ahead of the January transfer window.

Since he was stripped of the captaincy earlier this month, Aubameyang has not played a single minute for the Gunners. Aubameyang has so far missed four matches for Arsenal. He was absent for the Premier League wins over Southampton, West Ham and Leeds United. He was also not part of the team that beat Sunderland in the Carabao Cup.

The results Arsenal have churned out in his absence is a clear indication of not missing Aubameyang. With the Gabon international set to join his national side for the Africa Cup of Nations, it is unlikely that he will return to training until the end of the competition.

Aubameyang assessing his future

The shenanigans between player and club have put Aubameyang’s Arsenal future in doubt, and he is beginning to consider his options ahead of the winter transfer window.

According to football.london, Arteta wants to avoid repeating the Mesut Ozil situation last season.

It was an embarrassing situation that portrayed Arteta and Arsenal in poor light. Ozil was not part of Arsenal’s Europa or Premier League squads. Despite not being registered and on a high salary, Ozil continued to train with the first team. Many felt it was an act of cowardice not telling the player he was surplus to requirements.

Aubameyang is keen on leaving the North London club and has attracted interest from Spain, Italy and England. Offloading the Gabon international will not be that straightforward as he commands £350,000 in weekly wages. It is a situation that many clubs find inhibiting though Arsenal would not mind contributing to his salary to help offload him.

Arsenal have their sights on Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic and are willing to pay the €80 million (£68m) the Italian club wants for the player.

The 21-year-old who has scored 18 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions this season is, however, keen to finish the season with Fiorentina, while Arsenal faces a challenge from Manchester United, Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund for the striker.