Journalist Daniel Storey has recently dropped a worrying claim about the situation of Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as the Gunners fell to a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League.
This came after Storey appeared as a guest on the latest episode of the Totally Football Show podcast and the panel talked about numerous issues involving the Premier League and the upcoming Champions League games. Storey talked about Arsenal and gave his opinion about Aubameyang’s situation under Mikel Arteta. The journalist made his opinion clear, saying that the Gabonese star has become a problem for the Gunners.
Aubameyang had started against Liverpool on the left wing of the club’s 4-2-3-1 shape, but the 31-year-old picked up a rather unimpressive rating of 6.41, as he was taken off by Arteta in the second half. He failed to muster even a single attempt on goal (as per Whoscored).
Has Aubameyang become a problem for Arsenal?
Yes
No
Aubameyang’s last goal for the Gunners came in early March against Burnley in a 1-1 draw. Storey talked about the 31-year-old, saying that he almost played like a left-back against Liverpool and he would work well only if the Gunners play in a 3-4-3 shape.
He said (30:20): “He’s [Arteta] got a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang problem. That’s absolutely abundantly clear in that Aubameyang on the left kind of works in the 3-4-3 when he can stay really high up the pitch I think, but in this 4-2-3-1, he was kind of playing as an auxiliary left back for most of the game as Liverpool penned them back and it just looked to sap away the energy and the fun out of Aubameyang.
“And that’s becoming a serious issue because for some reason, Arsenal looked at the clanging siren of Mesut Ozil. And just as they were finally sorting out that problem, or at least cutting their losses on it, they seem to have dived straight back into potentially a similar problem. Aubameyang is 31, is being paid £375k, which is a lot even in footballer terms, but it’s certainly a lot to Arsenal.”
TIF Thoughts on Aubameyang’s situation…
Aubameyang’s contribution has taken a hit compared to his output for the Gunners last season. Undoubtedly, after signing a new deal last summer, his performances have dropped.
While playing as a left sided forward and as a forward, he has scored more goals for the Gunners — quite clearly his best position. So if Arteta wants to stick to a 4-2-3-1 shape, he might have to sacrifice Aubameyang, who is valued at £31.5 million (as per Transfermarkt), and that presents a very interesting dilemma for the Spaniard.
In other news: ‘They will have a meeting’ – Fabrizio Romano drops big Arsenal update.