Former Bournemouth manager Scott Parker has defended Mikel Arteta’s decision to ditch Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from his squad following several breaches of team rules by the striker.
Auba was Arsenal’s captain and top earner, but he broke a club rule and Arteta was forced to sideline him.
He eventually left to join Barcelona in the final hours of the January transfer window.
The striker’s departure has not affected Arsenal negatively, instead, they seem to be thriving because he left.
Speaking about the decision today, Parker says managers are paid to make the tough calls and Arsenal’s form justifies what Arteta did.
He said via The Daily Mail:
‘I don’t think anything in football is ever personal, these decisions are happening constantly on how you see best to fit the team
‘Mikel made a decision, at this moment in time is proven that it was the right one, he’s gone on and they’ve kicked on a little bit.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Offloading Auba was a tough decision for Arteta because he handed the striker his last contract at the club.
That was a clear show of confidence and it means the Spaniard certainly saw the striker as a part of his team’s future.
But Auba did not make reasonable choices as an experienced player and the leader of the team.