Can we do things right for once? by Lagos Gooner
Hello Gooners all over the world. Tomorrow is gonna be another good day for Arsenal. With all our strikers starting to play well, I want to predict us winning tomorrow’s game by three goals margin. Tomorrow is gonna be another great day, yeah!
While we await tomorrow’s game, can we talk about something? Can we talk about Aubameyang and his importance to the team? Can we ask ourselves why we always fail to get it right with players and contract negotiations? I cannot believe that as big a club we are, we seldom get contract negotiations right. With Aubameyang, I expected us to have done whatever we needed to do to tie him down and save us from endless expectations and hopes. Correct me if I am wrong, but Arsenal is supposed to be a football giant, isn’t it?
When we bought Aubameyang some seasons ago, I was one of those who were surprised at the transfer. We were so lucky to get a proven goal poacher sign for us, when he could have signed for the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Getting Aubameyang was a master class; but keeping him for long at Emirates, was what caused me fears then. I felt we needed world class players and we needed to formulate a way of taking care of their contract renewal, without stress. Last season, during Emery’s time at Arsenal, we got it wrong in regard to Aaron Ramsey’s contract negotiations. When we could have bent a bit towards his demands and kept him at the Emirates, we allowed him go for free! That decision to me is not the type of decisions skilled club administrators would have taken in other big clubs.
Now, we are faced with many players almost running out of their contracts. We are faced with our attacking players battling contract negotiations with the club. Aubameyang, our highest goal scorer, has just months left on his present contract. By now, we should have succeeded in making him sign a new contract, but no, not Arsenal. We also start contract negotiations and at the end, we withdraw our contract offer from star players, who should be made to see reasons why they should remain at the club. I am not asking the club to bend to the players’ ridiculous demands, but is there any crime in the club lowering their standards a little, just to keep important players at the club? Aubameyang reminds virtually everybody of Thierry Henry; he has been on fire since he signed for us and it would be unwise of Arsenal to let him go. We need to tie him to a new contract, even if it means agreeing to some of his demands.
We need him! We are Arsenal and we are proud.
Sylvester Kwentua