Former Arsenal star, Emmanuel Frimpong has urged the club to cash in on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The striker was recently stripped of the club’s captaincy, and he is now fighting for a spot in the starting XI.
Auba is already 32 and is on a huge contract at the club. His latest disciplinary breach should cost him his career at the Emirates and Frimpong thinks so too.
However, he also admits the club would struggle to offload him because of his massive wages.
Frimpong said via Sun Sports: “I think it would be good for Arsenal to cash in. Look at his age, he’s getting older, and we need a new striker that we can have for the next five years.
“He’s a great player but this is the best time to cash in. It will be difficult though, as he’s on very good wages. It’s not going to be easy to get him out.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Auba has done some good things for this club, but that doesn’t give him the right to repeatedly break rules.
He hasn’t even been scoring enough goals and should be worried about his on-field performances.
Instead, he is busy causing off-field problems for Mikel Arteta. He will struggle to win back a place in the team now and hopefully, another top European club gives him a chance by the summer.
We all remember the egg timer and I remember thinking of Wenger’s golden rule of a one year rolling contract for any player over a certain age. He did it for a reason.
I’m not saying that Auba wasn’t worth his contact extension but the length of it was wrong (as was Willian’s). The Ronaldos of this world are few and far between as levels of finess and speed tail off with age.
I hope he is rehabilitated but if the current line up continues to perform well then opportunities will diminish. I have no reason to dislike him. His record has been immense but his behaviour lapses have let him down. A shame really.
I disagree with the premise and presumed application of Wenger’s “golden rule”. Unfortunately, the implication is also that this is applied rigidly without taking into account individual circumstances, ability, fitness and motivation.
It is important also to consider what you want out of the player and how they fit into your team.
Fair enough David
Usually at a certain age the usefulness decreases and I stand by that. Chelsea offered 2 years to Willian. Greed took over, so I’ll stick with a one year rolling contract
SueP- you could also reason that he is by far the best natural finisher at the club ( his record proves this ) and after being given the contract he demanded he was asked to play in a position he never favoured, in a team with no consistent style of play, for a coach that has failed dismally to bring a coherent and recognised pattern to the team, which changed weekly depending on the coaches whim, and with a defensive mindset as opposed to attacking.
The younger players are getting game time and because of this are becoming more consistent. Aubamayang, to ever be effective, needs a system to suit his strengths. It was interesting to see Martinelli on Wednesday. His game was almost built on Auba’s natural style. For a player who carried this club he has no doubt dropped down the order due to the recent lapses. Arteta obviously wants him out the door. Pity he never did this before sanctioning a 3 year £350k per week contract that now becomes another debt we will have to write off
Exactly Phil ,like I said he’s been thrown to the wolves and made to look awful ,by all means drop him for his form but why as he now been left out of the team for 3 games seeing it was only to go see his sick mum .
Obviously Arteta does not like having his authority questioned and like you said we are now stuck with a player who’s wages could see pay for 3 top players weekly .
Badly managed IMO .
So whilst Auba has regressed under Arteta for the reasons mentioned by you, others have in fact blossomed.I don’t suppose you have considered the possibility that age has caught up with him, and without his electric pace, he has precious little to offer?In real terms, he is mediocre in terms of retaining possession, holding the ball up and linking with others, attacking the ball in the air, dribbling in one for one situations, and last ,but not least, he has lost the ability to put the ball in the net when clear chances present themselves.You can blame Arteta for the demise of Auba all you like, but any rational follower of Arsenal will recognise the part played by the natural passage of time in his decline.The fact that he has also shown himself to be a poor leader and has set bad examples for our young players in terms of breaching protocols merely adds fuel to the correct decision to leave him out of the side.As realistically, we will not be able to sell Auba in view of his obscenely high wages, I sincerely hope he will buckle down and prove that he is not a spent force by making decent contributions to the team, when he reappears, which he will do, in the not too distant future.At his best he was an exciting player with an eye for goal, but the fact that his standards have dropped alarmingly surely cannot be attributed to our Manager at a time when our evolving young team has climbed to the cherished fourth position in the EPL.
Well put Grandad – well in my view anyway
Our contributions to this debate are hardly off the scale – not a case of being thrown to the wolves but more like the passage of time catching up with him and his inability to accept simple rules which apply to most people in their daily lives.
Over the last 18 months the regular calls for the youth to be integrated into the first team is now becoming a reality. This is at the expense of a senior player who is ageing and unfortunately, less effective. I can’t see the problem
Phil, his record proves he WAS, not IS, the best striker at the club. This season it could be seriously argued he is the very worst at AFC.
REGULAR SITTERS MISSED AND ALMOST ZERO EFFORT. His greatness ended the season before last. He is, most of the time, little more than a passenger.
So many fans talk about players in the present tense as being great when the greatness long ago stopped.
ONE, AMONG SEVERAL REASONS,why I am a realist, as I live in the present, not the past.
ON THAT DAMAGING CONTRACT AWARDED , I much agree with you. But realists always start from where we are now, not where we ought to have been but are not.
Grandad, SueP, and JF
Why then did Arteta sanction THAT contract? If the player was only ever going to offer past and not present, that contract wIll haunt Arteta forever. A terrible decision by a manager who is accountable for gross negligence, most especially in these times where carefull management of finance is more important than ever
Phil, how on earth do you know the contract was sanctioned by Arteta?He does not have the authority to agree the unjustifiable wage increase granted to Auba.The decision was sanctioned at Board level so perhaps you should be sticking your knife into those who were conned by agent acting for the player.Our Board has been weak for an age, and only now are we beginning to see a measure of competency at that level.You could argue the price paid for White and Ramsdale was excessive , but from what I have seen, they could well go on to have great careers with Arsenal..Arteta continues to frustrate me in terms of certain selections and tactics.He has made a number of errors of judgement, but dropping Auba was not one of them.
Grandad- you know as well as I do that Arteta demanded full control on players. Of course the board had to sanction the contract but if Arteta wanted him gone he would not be here now. Are you delusional enough to believe the board decide which players are kept and which ones are not? Unbelievably bad comment from you who ought well know better. Just because your first post was questioned you thought you would come back with this? Do yourself a favour PAL and think next time.
I guess we will have to agree to differ on this issue Phil.But as someone who is at least consistent in their hostility against Arteta, what would he have to achieve to win you over, apart from tendering his resignation?Your comments would be appreciated.
Phil, And NO mention I notice, of the first three paragraphs and the more important part of my post. I assume you do not dissent because you agree then?
Name me the best striker at the club Jon. And all strikers have missed from a few yards as you know.
DK- it seems as though Arteta is determined to never be questioned. Fall out with him and it’s never forgotten. George Graham was a very tough disciplinarian but never held grudges. He came down on the players if they fell out of line. Then it was forgotten. Arteta is showing signs of weakness in his management not strength. It’s the players at fault not him ever.
Not sure who you are replying to grandad !
Phil
The team plays crap it’s the players
The team plays good it’s all on Arteta .
I think the fans have gotten carried away with 2 wins in a row but seem to have forgotten the pattern that follows as we have seen in Artetas tenure so far .
If by some miracle he gets us top 4 then great but that was my personal minimum for this season with the backing he as been given .
I think fans forget that we are only progressing this season (just) because Arteta took us down to to 8th in the first place .
Ill Hold my judgment til season end .
DK, But you are NOT “holding your judgement” at all!
THAT IS LAUGHABLY UNTRUE. You constantly call for his head. How can that possibly be seen as holding judgement until seasons end?
Jon- as opposed to yourself who backs the manager. Then is finished with him forever (Xhaka contract) then backs him unequivocalbly, now is sitting in the fence.
Hardly a reality Jon, You change your mind to fit the situation whereas Dan Kit has never wavered.
You forget jon I was a big Arteta fan for his first 6months and really though he would go on to become a good manager when other were questioning his position after coming in and finishing 8th be it from taking over Emery but his second season was awful and the football played and now onto this season and it’s the same boring mechanical football ,I won’t get carried away from good few games played after a third of the season and only just getting a positive goal difference ,if you see progress that’s great for you I see the same old same old and I don’t belive it’s good enough for a club of our stature.
My point on Auba I’ve already given so need to go over that .
And I don’t need you or the likes of you telling me how to support my club because I do not toe the Arteta line .
Let’s not forget your constant supporter speech when on the daily you slag off virtually half the squad telling us they are lazy need selling or whatever else takes your fancy ,now answer me this is that how a supporter form your own point of view should be talking after your preaching about supporters that don’t agree that Arteta should be our manager .
What’s the difference be it players ,managers they are all paid employees of the club .
You don’t like half the players I don’t like the manager ,now if I’m not a supporter what does that make you .
And OFC silence from you when cornered Jon .
This is why your opinion to me is just that ,nothing more nothing less .
DK A total lie !
I dislike only Xhaka from the regulars, though I HAVE RECENTLY ALSO CRITICISED AUBA FOR BEINGLAZY AND INEFFECTIVE AS WELL AS NOT BEING A CAPATIN. I know we have a number of mostly unused dross players left who we need to get gone when possible.
But it is only Xhaka of our regulars whom I regularly criticise and if you think HE amounts to “half the team,” then try living on Planet EARTH WITH THE REST OF US.
Jon- your dislike for Xhaka is obviously not swaying Arteta at all. He brought him straight back into the side against Everton without clearly being match fit and started him in every game since. Wenger and Emery had him as first choice too if you remember.
Perhaps you should call your lovechild up and tell him where he is going wrong. Obviously you know more than him (actually you probably do).
Don’t forget to answer Dan Kit and myself on the earlier thread. You normally creep off and not answer when questioned ( which is often ) but for once just answer. I came back to your question and so did DK so man – up and stop hiding as you always do
I genuinely do not understand the ire you are showing over 2 posts that were not anti Auba, other than to describe his current situation as an ageing player who can’t do a simple thing like turn up for work on time and has become, overall, less effective and an opinion, only.
Your views on Arteta are extreme in my honest view. An opinion, which you are entitled to hold, of course, but it is unrelenting. The success against West Ham may well be short lived. It might not. As you well know, I have supported Arteta but made it absolutely clear that he has until Christmas to show improvement. If there are embarrassing losses, I fully expect to get the Arteta fanboy jibes that have followed me for the last 18 months. What I have been prepared to do is change my stance in various post, and if it gets to the point that his tenure is not going to bring success then it will require a new manager. If the opposite happens and the team improves and gels, then I would like to think I would just be happy that we are on track again after a few lean years. That is all I have ever wanted.