The Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang situation has gone from bad to worse as recent reports suggest the former Arsenal captain will be isolated from the first team for the remainder of the year.
Despite beating West Ham during the midweek to leapfrog the Hammers into fourth, the talk of the town in north London continues to be the Gabonese superstar and his fallout with Mikel Arteta. The former Dortmund ace was stripped of the armband earlier this week after another disciplinary issue, with the striker failing to return on time from a sanctioned trip to France to pick up his unwell mother.
As a result, the 32-year-old was left out of the squad for the Gunners' last two games – the 3-0 victory over Southampton and 2-0 triumph over West Ham. When asked whether Aubameyang would return to the fold for Saturday's trip to Leeds, Arteta simply stated that he is not in contention and refused to go into detail regarding his future at the Emirates Stadium.
However, there is more to his absence than simply missing the trip to Elland Road. According to the Daily Mail, Pierre will not be allowed to train with the other first-team players for the remainder of this calendar year. Instead, the striker will work on his fitness alone and away from the rest of the group until he heads of to join his national team for the Africa Cup of Nations later this month.
Aubameyang's absence is not a strike, nor is it an exile issued by Mikel Arteta in retaliation for his latest disciplinary issue. Instead, sources claim that it is a mutual decision made by both parties. However, it casts a huge doubt over his Arsenal future nonetheless.
Given that the upcoming AFCON tournament will carry on until early February, the Gabonese ace might never play for the Gunners again should his nation go far in the competition. This is because Arsenal are open to selling their highest-paid player this January.
However, a summer exit appears likelier. Whether a club would be willing to pay his high wages remains unclear though. Fortunately for the Gunners, they have been on the hunt for a new striker for quite some time, with Lacazette and Nketiah also tipped to leave this summer, hence the links with Everton's Calvert-Lewin and Fiorentina's Vlahovic.
