The fallout from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's latest disciplinary breach continues, with fans and pundits alike questioning his future as both the club captain and as an Arsenal player.
The Gabonese superstar grabbed the headlines on Saturday after he was left out of the squad for the Gunners' crucial showdown with Southampton, with Mikel Arteta revealing before kick-off that his absence was down to another disciplinary issue.
When asked to elaborate on what the former Dortmund superstar did, the Spanish managed refused to go into detail. However, the Athletic has now revealed the reason behind this latest issue, reporting that it was down to the captain's late return from a trip to France.
The 32-year-old was given permission to travel on Tuesday as the skipper wished to head over to France in order to pick up his mom and bring her to the UK. However, the striker was told to return on Wednesday, which he failed to do, as he instead made his way back to north London on Thursday morning.
This left Arteta fuming and for a number of reasons. First of all, given that Arsenal had lost all but one of their last four games, the Spaniard needed his top scorer back and ready in time for the crucial clash with Southampton. Furthermore, a misunderstanding surrounding COVID-19 testing protocols took place, resulting in Aubameyang being unable to train until he produced a negative PCR test, hence why he was told to work out at home instead of London Colney.
When interrogated on Saturday, Arteta refused to be drawn on whether the captain will be stripped of the armband. Additionally, he did not confirm whether his punishment was a one-game absence, saying before the Southampton tie: "It starts today".
Fortunately, the north London giants emerged victorious from their showdown with the Saints, as goals from Lacazette, Odegaard, and Gabriel guided the Gunners to a 3-0 triumph. Next up for Arsenal is a tricky clash with West Ham, a direct rival in their race to qualify for Europe.
