Mikel Arteta reveals ‘everything has been resolved in a really positive way’ with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he was DROPPED for arriving late to north London derby
Mikel Arteta has revealed he has held clear-the-air talks with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and ‘everything has been resolved’ after he was dropped last weekend.
The Gabonese striker was a surprise omission from the Arsenal side to face Tottenham in Sunday’s north London derby.
He was dropped by Arteta for arriving late and he remained an unused substitute as Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners.
Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dropped for arriving late for Tottenham clash
Mikel Arteta (left) has now revealed he has held clear-the-air talks and the issue ‘is resolved’
Aubameyang is facing a fine to go with his benching, following his breach of club rules, as this is not the first time he has been late but Arteta has now said the issue is resolved and he is back in contention ahead of facing Olympiacos in the last-16 of the Europa League.
‘We talked. Everything has been resolved in a really positive way and we move forward,’ Arteta said.
Arteta’s decision was a big one due to Aubameyang’s status and form — he has scored nine goals in his previous 12 games.
Arsenal won the derby without their captain with Alexandre Lacazette (left) scoring the winner
Arsenal players were asked to make their own way to the Emirates on Sunday due to coronavirus protocols, but Aubameyang left team-mates and coaches waiting by turning up to the ground in his holographic chrome-wrapped Ferrari after the meet time.
This caused Arteta to make the call to leave his star striker out from the start.
According to The Athletic, Aubameyang took no time to leave the Emirates Stadium in his expensive sports car and did not do a post-match warm down with the rest of the unused substitutes from Sunday’s win over Tottenham.
The report also says the Gabon forward chose not to celebrate with his team-mates on the pitch after beating Tottenham and was one of the first players to go down the tunnel at the full-time whistle.
Aubameyang’s Ferrari was ‘heard leaving the Emirates just 23 minutes after full-time’
The striker was left on the bench but is said to have since resolved the situation with Arteta
Arteta told his post-match press conference ‘We draw a line there. Now let’s move on again.
‘We know how important Auba is for us, for the club. That’s it. That’s been dealt with so let’s move on.’
When asked whether Aubameyang accepted his punishment for his tardiness, Arteta said: ‘I hope he did, yeah.’
The 31-year-old’s history of matchday ill-discipline dates back to his time at Borussia Dortmund, when Thomas Tuchel dropped the striker on the day of a Champions League tie with Sporting Lisbon in 2016 due to ‘internal reasons’.
The following season, Aubameyang was late for a training session and was dropped by Dortmund for the next league game against Stuttgart in November 2017. The Gabon forward quit Dortmund for Arsenal just two months later.
