‘Incredible player’: Mikel Arteta now raves about £12m star who Arsenal let go for nothing just last year
Mikel Arteta has been sharing his thought on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of Arsenal’s match against Chelsea this evening.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta was asked about the striker who left Arsenal last year.
It’s a must-win game for the Gunners if they’re going to keep the pressure on Manchester City.
They finally relinquished their place at the top of the Premier League on Sunday.
Man City defeated a stubborn Fulham side 2-1 to finally leapfrog Mikel Arteta’s side.
Despite the incredible run Pep Guardiola’s side is on, Arsenal have let their lead slip in the past few weeks.
Draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton have handed the advantage to Arteta’s old club.
The Gunners have a brilliant opportunity to return to the top of the league this evening.
Arsenal face a struggling Chelsea side, and Arteta has been talking about their forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He’s had a tough season at Stamford Bridge, but is finally getting his opportunity under Frank Lampard.
Arsenal fans will be hoping he doesn’t come back to haunt them tonight.
Arsenal boss Arteta raves about Aubameyang
Asked about what reception he wants Arsenal fans to give Aubameyang, Arteta said: “Say thank you, paying their respect and gratitude for what he was.
“He was an incredible player for us, scored a lot of goals, he was our captain and he deserves that. They should say thank you and be grateful.
The £12m forward has only played 14 league games this season, scoring just one goal.
He was left out of the Champions League squad by Graham Potter as Chelsea continued to struggle goals.
Aubameyang was brought in at the request of his old boss Thomas Tuchel last summer.
However, the German was dismissed just days later.
Aubameyang’s record at Arsenal deserve some of the praise Arteta has asked Gunners fans to provide.
He scored 92 goals in 163 games, which is a phenomenal record.
However, it was clear that his time at The Emirates was coming to an end when it did, and he was eventually released to join Barcelona.
Letting him go has worked out brilliantly for Arsenal, with Arteta able to play a much more dynamic system in his absence.
It would be a cruel twist of fate if Aubameyang was the player to end Arsenal’s title hopes this evening.
