When Arsenal took the decision to let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave for Barcelona in January, few could have predicted he’d be facing the Gunners in Chelsea colours inside 11 months.
Alas, that’s what will happen on Sunday when Mikel Arteta takes his table-topping side to Stamford Bridge.
The narrative writes itself. One-time hero haunts former club with an inevitable goal. We’ve been here before; Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexis Sanchez are three examples from the last decade alone.
In Aubameyang’s case, he arguably has even more of an axe to grind. Stripped of the captaincy, sent into exile and unceremoniously dumped; it’s a high-profile story that everyone has had to live through twice. Once in real-time and then again as part of Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ documentary.
Despite being reticent to go into the nitty gritty of why he wanted to be rid of the striker, Arteta is well aware that Aubameyang, who has found his scoring boots in the interim, will be pumped for revenge.
“Very dangerous,” said the boss ahead of the reunion. “If Auba has something, it’s the ability to put the ball in the back of the net and he’s going to be doing that until the day that he decides he’s had enough of football.
“We will have to look first of all at what Chelsea do and try to put a plan together to avoid that.”
While Arsenal fell short of finishing fourth last season – in no small part down to a shortage of goals – the decision to part ways with the club’s leading scorer and top earner appears to have paid dividends in the mid-term.
The Gunners look like a more cohesive attacking unit and have been able to redirect wages to the recruitment of replacements, including Gabriel Jesus, who have hit the ground running.
“Well, it’s a decision that we had to take and there are different parties involved,” said Arteta.
“At the end of the day, when someone is not with us anymore and being a player and having the role that he had at the club and how important he was, you always wish everybody the best.
“When someone makes that decision to move somewhere else, they need to enjoy their profession and he seems to be happy.”
One thing is clear, Auba’s exit sent shockwaves through the Arsenal camp. If anyone in the squad thought the non-negotiables were in fact negotiable, this was a stark reminder to the contrary.
Speaking after last night’s 1-0 win over FC Zurich, Mo Elneny, a senior statesman in the camp, said Arteta’s ruthlessness had united the club.
“I think so, because now everyone was scared!” he told the Evening Standard.
“Everyone is scared with their position because this happened to Aubameyang. Of course, if anyone is not the captain of the team, does a small mistake, they are going to have the same problem, and no one needs that problem.”
He added: “Everyone looked at themselves because Mikel did that to the captain of the team. What is he going to do with another player?
“This showed that now we can’t play around, now we have to be calm with the team and the way the team is going we have to stick with the team, not do something different. We agree with what Mikel decided because he is our boss and we just have to agree what his vision is for [us].
“We don’t allow big egos. This is the dressing room we have now. Everyone loves each other and everyone works for each other. This is what actually makes our squad really strong, because we don’t have egos in the team.”
Auba is a one trick pony.
Will be great to see Ben White put the harness on him
I don’t think he is going to start though. He hasn’t been convincing at Chelsea as well.
Here’s just playing mind games
He has limitations, but he is a top player and it would be foolish to underestimate his talent. I think White and Saliba will do well against him or anyone else Chelsea use, but it is by no means a sure thing.
Yeah, we need to show him some respect. He is deadly if given the chance.
Still a world class striker and the best we’ve had since RVP.
Giroud was better
Not even close to Aubameyang. Giroud scored 105 goals in 253 games. Aubameyang scored 13 goals less in only 163 matches. Aub far more clinical.
We should’ve played Giroud and Auba together up front. Instead Laca & Auba didn’t work well together besides a few good games.
Totally wrong. Auba and Laca worked brilliantly together. Laca’s hold up play allowed Auba to score so many goals.
Giroud a better hold up player than Laca. Ask Deschamps. Or Mbappe. I know, a pair of twats they are, but both seem to appreciate Giroud’s quality
Auba was a good finisher who couldn’t trap a dead rat in a phone box. Laca was a good footballer who couldn’t finish his dinner!
‘He couldn’t hit a barn door’ would have been more apt.
Judging by that paunch and snails pace last season, he could certainly finish his dinner.
Giroud had more to his game, and added more to the Arsenal attack, than Aubameyang.
1. His hold up play was better (especially with his back to goal).
2. I don’t have statistics, but I think Giroud had more assists than Auba.
Per 90 minutes, Giroud outpaces Auba in goals + assists over their Arsenal careers. He also had his share of defensive headers on opposition corners when he was with us. And he was far from disruptive. He just seems to make any team on which he plays better. More excellent beard too.
Despite the support you are getting you are talking abject nonsense. Giroud was far behind Aubameyang with goals. Just check the statistics and you will see why. Even on assists there was little to choose between them. I think that you and the other Giroud supporters are letting the way Aubameyang finished at the club cloud your judgement. Aubameyang was clearly a world class clinical striker which Giroud never was. I admit it would have been good to see them playing together
Giroud had the better all round game. At the time we thought we needed an upgrade, and as a pure goal scorer, Auba is better. But Giroud gave twice as many assists (41 to 21), and was great at holding up play, something pretty low in Auba’s skillset.
You forget that Giroud played 90 more games than Auba, so the difference in assists isnegligible and he only scored 13 more goals. Giroud was good but far removed from world class player Aubameyang
I’d still take Giroud back!
Sign him up in Jan
Helluva trick though…
Fuck yeah, well said Mo. That’s why you got an extension whilst PEA was axed.
Tbf, Mo is being brown nose to get minutes.
I don’t get it, Mo always have brown nose.
PAL is history. MJS is in. Get in!
Technically PAL is better but I always preferred NTSC due to the higher frame rate.
Cou*nerd*gh.
SECAM though…
We’ll have to watch Auba carefully if he plays on Sunday. Clearly there’s nothing more he’d like than to score against us at this time. I think the Chelsea game will probably be the toughest so far for us. They were thumped at Brighton (albeit under particular circumstances – former manager returning etc.) but otherwise have been moving along pretty well and they won’t want to lose a second time and at home. Unfortunately, we were unable to fully rest any but two (Saliba and Martinelli, I think) of our first choice eleven against Zurich for some period in the… Read more »
Hopefully big Willie puts him up in the air at the first opportunity 🙏
Our friend Mickey has a ten foot Willy… (and a ten foot Gabi, and a ten foot Tomi, and a ten foot Benji, etc., etc.)
The good old ‘reducer’. 😂
Xhaka was also rested, no?
A compulsory rest, known as a one-match ban.
I was really referring to available players – our friend Xhaka was suspended as “Collibosher” mentions. Even if he was available yesterday though that’s still only three from eleven.
No. He was suspended
Stick Saliba on him.
Job done.
“My boy Willy can handle Aubamayang”
Gonna make Auba call him daddy.
Someone should be in elneny’s ear about those coaching badges- his attitude could do wonders in the youth setup
What a likeable guy he is. Any team would be lucky to have a character like him. MA is really fostering a team with the mentality of a school team. No egos, or at least egos in check, no grandstanding, just a group of guys all playing for each other and the manager. I’m certain with this club culture we will attract top players who are more success/project oriented than money hungry. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this team!
guendouzi, apparently
just a group of guys playing for each other andd the manager and the club. the club is above all
So you will pick El Neny over Mbappe based on your criteria? Lol.
No, I wouldn’t pick Mo over Mbappe. I wouldn’t want Mbappe at Arsenal though. Sure, let’s pay one single player a million a week and accommodate his every whim. He’s not even as good as Messi or Ronaldo. Hard pass, why take on that three ring circus?
Last week Potter selected freaking Kai Havertz ahead of him lmao. Anyway if he plays, he’s cutting in from the left side so how about Tierney as an inverted right back.
We have Ben on the right. Ben got this!
Nah we will be fine.
I used to be afraid of making statement like those thinking I would jinx it but as Benny Blanco once said something along the lines of “we are pretty good at playing football so that helps” thesedays!
He’ll score. As sure as the sun rising, an ex player will raise their game to punish us. It may be a scruffy tap in or a deflected shot, but it will happen. Put your house on it. We’ll just have to score twice 😉
Mo gets it.