Charles Watts, the Arsenal correspondent for Goal, has been discussing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during a recent video on his YouTube channel.
The Gunners’ most recent match ended with defeat in the north London derby on Sunday and the striker, who signed a contract extension with the club earlier this year turned in a disappointing display, earning himself a performance rating of 5.98/10 (via WhoScored).
The £45m-rated forward has scored an impressive 74 goals in 122 appearances since signing for the club (as per Transfermarkt) but this season, he has failed to score a league goal from open play since Arsenal’s season opener at Fulham.
In general, Mikel Arteta’s side have struggled for goals this season, managing just 10 in their first 11 games – and so you could argue the striker’s form is a consequence of the team’s overall lack of creativity.
Watts, when discussing the 31-year-old, suggested that perhaps its time the forward was dropped from the first eleven, here is what he had to say:
“Is it time to drop him? Has Mikel Arteta got the guts to drop his captain? [Alexandre] Lacazette has been dropped for less this season.
“When you look [at his] current form and what he’s producing on the pitch, quite possibly he should be.
“Is that what’s needed to kickstart him again? I can’t imagine Arteta will do that, just because of who Aubameyang is and the fact he’s captain and he is the main man but it’s a question that’s up for debate, whether he should be starting at the moment, given his output, what he’s producing [and] given his lack of goals.”
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TIF Thoughts on Charles Watts’ comments regarding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang…
It’s clear from what the journalist has had to say that in his view, the Arsenal boss should now be considering leaving out the forward as Arsenal prepare to take on Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in their next Premier League fixture.
Although the goals have dried up for the Gabonese attacker, the Gunners, as a team, are struggling to score anywhere near frequently enough and to put that into context, only the current bottom three – Sheffield United, West Brom and Burnley – have scored fewer goals in the top flight since the start of the campaign.