Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not make is return against Leeds, but refused to confirm if he had a future at Arsenal.
The Gabon international was dropped from the playing squad ahead of our clash with Southampton recently for a supposed disciplinary breach, and was later confirmed to have been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy shortly.
We went on to beat the Saints and West Ham in his absence, and we will now take on Leeds without him also, as confirmed by the boss in his pre-match conference.
“No, he’s not available for selection,” Arteta is quoted as saying on Arsenal.com.
When asked if he still has a future at Arsenal, the boss was less straight in his response, saying: “For this game he’s not available for selection.”
It’s a difficult one. If we are to believe that Auba’s mother is still unwell, then his absence could well be linked to his mental state in dealing with his worries about his family member, but with him being stripped as captain we have to believe there is a lot going on behind the scenes.
Strangely enough, I feel a growing willingness to see him leave Arsenal amongst the fanbase, and a move away in January may not be completely out of the question.
Is Auba no longer as irreplaceable as he once was?
Patrick