Ian Wright is disappointed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had to leave Arsenal, having joined Barcelona this week.
The Gabon international was released from his contract in recent days, allowing him to sign for the Spanish giants on a free transfer, despite having 18 months remaining on his previous Gunners deal.
The striker was stripped as club captain in December after a falling out with the manager, before ultimately leaving north London with bad blood, and fans favourite Ian Wright doesn’t understand why Auba couldn’t have worked his way back into the team. He also claims that he is in the dark as to what has gone wrong within the relationship of the player and manager, despite being close to the new Barcelona signing.
“Even I don’t know what’s gone on and I’m in touch with the guy, we’re tight,” Wright said on The Ringer Podcast. “The way everything has gone, deep down I can’t understand why something couldn’t happen, simply because he’s only just signed. So if everything was going on before, there would have been a lead up of misdemeanours for the manager to maybe say let’s not sign him, and it seems like if you knew there were things that were happening that you didn’t like, then why did we sign and put so much money into him and a year later he’s gone?”.
Ian later admitted that he had been saddened by the departure of Aubameyang, before adding that he will back the manager’s decision.
He added: “I’m very sad on a personal level, because I think he’s made for us. If you have Auba you can structure everything around him to do what he does. I watched his goals for Dortmund not long ago and it was all geared for him. I’m devastated that we couldn’t do that for him, but as much as I love him, you have to back the manager now.”
Auba hasn’t been as strong as in previous seasons, and I believe his progress was dipping prior to his falling out with the manager, and removing his mammoth wage is hard to argue with. Whilst I’m not sold on our transfer window, I can see why Auba has been moved on, and we have to believe that it will be for the greater good in the long run.
Are you saddened by his departure?
Patrick
It seems that The Arsenal are also going to pay part of Aubameyang’s salary (Google) until the end of the season, so once again we are slowly but surely seeing just what amateurs we are in the transfer market.
Yet they told us we would be saving close to 25M. I guess this is what you call “mushroom management” of the club/supporter relationship: they keep us the dark; they feed us on a steady diet of cr#p, but expect us to keep digging deeper into our pockets for admission tickets and club merchandise – and be happy, too.
Perhaps this is just the Kroenke’s tried and trusted formula for fan engagement.
It will be greater in the long run?
We don’t know. We did tried hard for vlaholvic, it didn’t happen….. My preference would be to have brought Auba back, long ago.. however what is done is done.
as you alluded, this could be for the best. We always had too many players, but now we have a tight group. That could do us well.
However if it doesn’t, a serious fight for top 4, it’s time to move on from arteta. He’s had so much opportunity, he’s made bold moves….. signings, banishings…… if it doesn’t work, it’s time to move on. We have a good club.
This is the same Auba who majority of the fans wanted him benched due to his poor form (for the young Martenelli). Last year I agree it was difficult for him due to illness and family issues, but to be disinterested and not trying is a shame. Its criminal to smile after missing sitters! Which coach on earth other than Mr. Wenger would tolerate such nonsense? There is no hiding the fact that he was a lethal forward just like Mr. Wenger was invincible at point of time, but once compliancy sets in the mindset, things change for the worse and sadly it happened to Mr. Wenger as a manager and Auba as a player. The other fellas – Ozil, Mustafi, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Elneny – I never rated them from day 1.
Some people smile when they’re upset or pain to hide their feelings. So what does his smile has to do with anything??
With all your talk about Mr Wenger, LC, not once have you mentioned Mr Arteta and his role in this debacle.
Just months ago, he awarded Aubameyang a plus £300,000 a week contract over three years, making him just short of 35 when it run out.
According to you, he had many personal issues that affected his game, he wasn’t trying and we can agree that his form suffered.
But why did the club let him go for free to a “bigger” club, pay £7,000,000 for the privilege of so doing and then agree with Barcelona to subsidise his salary?
This never happened under Mr Wenger, or any other manager in the history of our club (probably any club) yet you apportion no criticism or suggestion that Mr Arteta might bear some responsibility – rather you throw in the names of other players, as if they have anything to do with the situation.
Your throwaway comment about “Wenger fanboys” seem to apply to you 100% with Arteta, the magician, that’s for sure.
By the way, I was one criticising Aubameyang, but never in my wildest dreams, did I think we would just throw up our hands at the problem, pay him a lump sum, give him to Barca and continue to pay (some of) his salary.
Ur right