Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has praised manager Mikel Arteta for the strong message he’s sent his players with the decision over allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a transfer away.
The Gabon international has just left Arsenal for a move to Barcelona, having previously lost his place in Arteta’s side, with the Spanish tactician also taking the captain’s armband away from him for disciplinary reasons.
It seems a big risk by Arsenal to be letting such a prolific striker leave while they don’t really have any other options up front, but it’s also fair to say that Aubameyang’s form had dropped a lot in his final year in north London.
Petit is certainly backing Arteta’s bold decision here, praising the manager for sending a strong message to his dressing room by taking the big gamble to drop and then sell the club captain and star player.
“Mikel Arteta did exactly what everyone expected with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” Petit told Gambling.com, as quoted by the Metro.
“I don’t want to show disrespect for Aubameyang, because I believe he is a great player. But, for the last few months he hasn’t been himself.
“Something has changed in his mind. I don’t know if it’s related to the club, the manager or the way he is living in his private life. But we were not seeing the same Aubameyang that we saw a couple of years ago.
“I believe Arteta made the right decision on Aubameyang and he made his mark in the dressing room with the choice he made.
“To leave your captain out of a game and then put him on the transfer market is a very strong message to your dressing room.”
It will be interesting to see if Petit is proven right, or if Arteta’s big gamble doesn’t pay off and Arsenal fans look back at this as the club really shooting themselves in the foot.