Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been dropped due to a disciplinary issue.
Speaking to Sky Sports in his pre-match tunnel interview, Arteta explained the reasoning behind leaving out his captain for their clash against Southampton.
Asked about the reason the Gabonese striker wasn’t involved in the squad today, Arteta said: “unfortunately due to a disciplinary breach.
“We’ve been very consistent in that aspect and there’s no negotiables for the team, that we have set ourselves (disciplinary proceedings) and as a club and he’s not involved today.”
Arteta then went on to say that his ban starts today, leaving the lingering question of when Aubameyang might return to the Arsenal line up.
After a solid enough start to the season where Aubameyang scored four goals in eight games, he has since failed to score in his last six, with his last goal contribution coming on October 22.
Aubameyang has previously been on the receiving end of disciplinary proceedings at Arsenal, being notably dropped for the North London derby in March for a similar reason.
You can see the full video below.
? "Unfortunately due to a disciplinary breach."
Mikel Arteta explains why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not in the Arsenal squad today pic.twitter.com/Je1cIvm5oA
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 11, 2021
Pictures courtesy of Sky Sports.