Arteta “risks losing the respect of the group” unless he drops Aubameyang

Martin Keown has urged Mikel Arteta to drop the underperforming Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Gabriel Martinelli.

Arsenal gave their captain a new deal at the start of the season after he netted 22 league goals in each of the last two seasons.

But he hasn’t repaid the faith shown in him and has just 9 goals in 25 Premier League games in this campaign.

These numbers tell the story of Arsenal’s poor season as their reliance on him has now backfired.

Alexandre Lacazette has had even more impact than the captain in this campaign and there is one player who has spent too much time away from the team – Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian was a shining light in this Arsenal side in his first season at the club, but he suffered a long-term injury in the last campaign.

He has been fit for some time now, yet Arteta continues to bench him for an unproductive Aubameyang.

Keown says the Spaniard has to make the tough call and sideline Aubameyang for the Brazilian.

He writes in his column on Mail Sport: “Arteta has a big decision to make on his captain. He set an example by dropping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the north London derby recently. Aubameyang was supposed to start against Spurs but turned up late and was pulled.

“Should Arteta not be dropping him for performing as poorly as he did against Liverpool? If he sticks with him, he risks losing the respect of the group.

“It’s time to bring in 19-year-old Gabriel Martinelli. He is too good to be sitting on the bench. His team-mates see him in training and know what he can do. 

“They will be baffled by his continued absence. I know I am.

“Use him on the left. Use Martinelli’s fellow 19-year-old Bukayo Saka on the right. Start Emile Smith Rowe. Then you’ll have a team who can pose problems for the opposition. There were too many passengers against Liverpool. ” 

Tags Martin Keown Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

8 Comments

  1. Let us be honest and tell it as it is. Which is that Auba is a bone idle, uninterested, total disgrace and does not warrant a place in our club, given his disgraceful attitude, let alone a place in the eleven.

    MARTINELLI MUST NOW GET AN EXTENDED RUN, INSTEAD OF THE IDLE ONE.

    I regret to say that our joke of a “captain ” has become Ozil mark two and we urgently need him out of our club. He is a dreadful example to all and esp to younger players, who are (fortunately) nothing like him, as THEY care for the club who pays them.

  2. With the benefit of hindsight, Arteta’s decision to re-sign Auba for over 350pw must be viewed as a mistake. Was it really worth it to spent so much of the team’s budget on one player? I could argue the same for Willian as well, if I had the time. If Arteta now decides to drop his skipper, Auba, for any reason, his entire coaching philosophy – including the PROCESS – has to be questioned. The manager’s number one task is to create the right environment to get the best out of his players. No club can sustain major changes to its squad season after season. If Arteta cannot get the best out of the players at his disposal, he stop apologizing and just resign. Maybe the job is just too big for him.

    1. The job is too big for him that is blindingly obvious, he is taking us to new depths at an alarming rate. He is a rookie and he cant and has not found the key to management. I think he could have been a good manager but he took on too much too soon. He is out of his depth.

    2. All that fuss about signing the contract too!!
      Arteta can’t foresee the future but I was annoyed that both Auba and Willian were offered more than 2 years. It was poor negotiating to arrive at paying our captain as much as Ozil when that contract had caused such controversy and he was younger when that was signed.

  3. “Passengers” is too weak a word; I prefer that good old Australian term “too many bludgers”.

  4. Our manager doesn’t have clue of the team he want.
    Mostly he want to discipline the team while is failing to understand the dynamic of team selection.
    Thirdly his mentoring process is very weak.
    I dont see Arsenal at promise land with this manager.

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