Mikel Arteta has been speaking about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and how good he is ahead of Olympiacos clash.
Mikel Arteta was asked a variety of questions about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang including his future and his position among the best strikers in the Premier League.
First off let’s look at what Arteta said exactly as reported on Arsenal.com
Is Aubameyang underrated?
“I think they do talk but obviously with top players who are playing at clubs that are winning constantly, there is more impact on that. But we all know how good Auba is. It is remarkable what he is doing and how consistent he has been over the years to do it, which is very very difficult to do. I think we all appreciate, at least at the club, his value and what he brings to us”
Arteta was then asked how Auba ranks among the Premier League greats
“Well, I think if he had been top scorer in the league, and won the league, then he would have been voted the best player in the league for sure. You need both. You need individual performance and you need the collective side of your team as well to support that. That is where we have to make a step forward to try to convince these top players to want to stay at our club and be successful and be happy”
Asked whether Aubameyang is comparable to Sergio Aguero, who Arteta obviously knows very well from his time at the Etihad.
“I wouldn’t like to compare but what I can say with Auba is that he’s right there with the best of the scorers in this league. In the last 10 years if you look at his record and what he’s done in the game it’s phenomenal. In my opinion he’s up there with the best”
OK, where to start? Of course Aubameyang is underrated and yes, he is definitely among the Premier League greats and the reason is simple.
Aubameyang won the Golden Boot last season in a team with a serious lack of talent in compariosn to the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
The question I ask myself is, would Salah, Mane or Aguero have achieved at Arsenal what Aubameyang has done in terms of scoring goals? I am not sure they would have done. Those players have achieved their scoring records surrounded by top quality players.
Imagine if Auba had a David Silva or Kevin de Bruyne supplying him, imagine if Auba was supported by a Firmino or one of Salah or Mane.
You could easily slip Aubameyang into Man City or Liverpool and he would match what those top players have done, in my opinion of course.
What Aubamayenag has done as part of this Arsenal team is really remarkable and from where I am sat I do honestly believe he is one of the greats of the Premier League. Of course, it would be easier to say that if he was at Arsenal for a longer period of time but you can only judge a player on his time he has spent with a club.