Aubameyang sacked as Arsenal captain following disciplinary breach; Lacazette first in line as replacement
After having missed Saturday's 3-0 win over Southampton, Aubameyang will now not feature in Arsenal's next Premier League clash against West Ham at the Emirates on Wednesday.
FollowPierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on Tuesday (December 14) stripped of the Arsenal captaincy following a breach of discipline last week. After having missed Saturday's 3-0 win over Southampton, the 34-year-old striker will now not feature in the Gunners' next Premier League clash against West Ham at the Emirates on Wednesday.
"Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday's match against West Ham United," Arsenal said in a statement. The statement added that the team expects all players, particularly the caption, to work to the rules and standards that have been set and agreed upon.
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed that he would resort to a leadership group with striker Alexandre Lacazette and former captain Granit Xhaka at the helm following Aubameyang's sacking as the club's captain. Facing the media, Arteta also revealed that he will not appoint a full-time successor to the 32-year-old forward as captain just yet. Mentioning that Aubameyang had to accept the decision, the Spaniard added, "We did it both through the club and having a personal conversation with the player."
"We have the leadership group; within that, we have different players we have nominated to be captain. We have Laca and Granit, who have been captain recently. It's an unpleasant situation. That leadership group is strong, and we will continue like that. We will try to educate them and get feedback at the right time," the Arsenal manager stated.
According to reports, Aubameyang had been to France last week for a personal trip. He returned later than agreed, forcing him to miss training due to the need to pass Covid-19 protocols. This is, however, not the first time that Aubameyang breached protocol this season. Earlier this year, manager Mikel Arteta had left out Aubameyang during the team's clash against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur over a disciplinary issue when he arrived late for a pre-match meeting. This is the third time in at least nine months the Gabonese forward has breached protocol.
"It's not an easy situation or a situation we want to have our club captain in that situation," Arteta had said on Saturday following the victory over Southampton. Lacazette was Arsenal captain during the club's last match against Southampton before passing on the armband to defender Rob Holding when he was substituted late in the game.
Aubameyang became Arsenal's captain in 2019 after Granit Xhaka was stripped of the role for his tirade towards supporters during a Premier League match against Crystal Palace. Incidentally, Aubameyang has led Arsenal to their only trophy under Arteta yet, scoring twice in the semi-final and final of the FA Cup in 2020. However, since the Gabon international signed a three-year deal, which made him one of the highest earners in EPL, worth 18 million pounds a year, his form has dipped considerably. Aubameyang has scored just 10 Premier League goals as Arsenal finished eighth last season and has four in 14 league appearances this season.
