Gary Neville criticises Arsenal over major blunder in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer saga

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Manchester United legend Gary Neville has criticised Arsenal’s handling of the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer saga, suggesting they’ve got no one else but themselves to blame for ending up in the situation they’re in.

The Gunners face losing Aubameyang on a free transfer at the end of next season as he approaches the end of his contract, and Neville says it was a mistake for the club to pay so much for him and not get him on a longer deal when he first came in.

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Aubameyang has been a world class performer for Arsenal and would be a huge loss if he were to leave on a cut-price deal this summer or on a Bosman in a year’s time, but this is a situation that the north Londoners seem to find themselves in time and time again.

Discussing Arsenal’s latest transfer blunder, pundit Neville told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Daily Mirror: “It feels to me that if you pay £60million for someone, to have him sort of leaving or in a position where he can leave, I think Arsenal find themselves in this position far too often.

“I think a three-year deal for someone who cost £60m you’d at least want that fourth year so you can control him and if he does well in those first two years, which he has.

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“Football in England changed with that Southampton team of 2013-14, there is no other team that had as big an impact in changing the mindset” – Which manager said this? Click here to read more.

“So that’s the mistake they’ve made with Aubameyang on day one, the fact that they’re in this position now is through mistakes they’ve made previously.

“I think Arsenal are in a position where the player is going to call the shots. Yes they could keep him for another year but then he leaves for nothing.”

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