Being made Arsenal captain seems to have been the moment that it all started to go wrong for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gabon international is expected to finalise a transfer to Barcelona after passing a medical with the Catalan giants, according to the Guardian, and many Arsenal fans will be disappointed to see things end like this with their former hero.
Aubameyang was an exciting signing when he joined from Borussia Dortmund four years ago, and he provided some memorable moments in the red and white of Arsenal, most notably with his match-winning brace in the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2020.
According to the Telegraph, however, it seemed clear from early on that Aubameyang was not really suited to being made the club captain, and that could be where it all started to go wrong.
The report explains how it was only really though chance that the 32-year-old was even given the armband, which happened after Granit Xhaka had it removed.
Aubameyang never really seemed to adjust to his new responsibilities, with the player not representing the club at meetings with other Premier League captains, according to the Telegraph, and not writing a captain’s column in the matchday programme this season.
Unsurprisingly, this pressure took away the freedom with which Aubameyang used to play, while it will also have hurt his pride when Mikel Arteta stripped him of the captaincy.
Overall, it’s the latest in a long line of very poorly-handled sagas by Arsenal.