Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy, with Mikel Arteta calling it a very “painful” decision and “unpleasant” situation.
The forward will be omitted from the squad for Wednesday's game against West Ham and Arteta has not decided when he will be available for selection again after a disciplinary breach, when he returned late to England after a visit to France to see his mother. The Gabonese had previously been omitted from last season’s North London derby after turning up late.
Arteta did not deny that that Aubameyang, Arsenal’s best-paid player, could be sold in the January transfer window as he faces an uncertain future. Arteta is yet to name a replacement as he looks for their 11th club captain in under 15 years, instead relying on a group of senior players in the meantime.
Arsenal said in a statement: “We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed.”
Arteta, a former Arsenal captain himself, told Aubameyang of his demotion in person and added: “When we have to make that decision, it is because it is the right one to defend the interests of the football club. We have to be clear about the situation and I think it is better to put it out there to try and be transparent on what we have done.”
Arteta said his players supported the move to punish Aubameyang and added: “They accepted the decision and they have demanded that they want to take our culture, our demands and who do we want to be as a club and represent this football club to different level and when those standards are not met, you know you cannot participate in our daily basics.”
Asked about if Aubameyang, who has 18 months left on his lucrative deal, will stay, Arteta replied: “Unfortunately, it is a really tough one and obviously if I have to choose I wouldn’t like to be sitting here talking about it but we had to and the next [step] is for now he is not involved in the squad. All I can say is for now it has been a lot to digest and a really difficult decision to make. It needs a bit of time to heal.”
Arteta described his relationship with Aubameyang “really, really good since I have been here; that is why it is painful.”
Arsenal 3 Southampton 0: player ratings
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ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale – 8 The Arsenal goalkeeper made some top saves from close and range. He kept out a powerful Redmond shot, as well as a dangerous effort from Tella. Another solid game for the Englishman. Getty -
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 7 Making his 13th appearance, the right back put in a good shift as his side took the three points. He made a string of short passes which led to Lacazette’s goal, and his general passing accuracy was impressive. Getty -
Ben White – 6 The £50m centre-back didn’t have a lot of work to do but he made a powerful block to deny Broja a shot on goal. He managed to keep Southampton quiet, which led to a much-welcomed clean sheet. Getty -
Gabriel – 6 Arsenal’s Brazilian Centre-back had a mixed game. His afternoon started with a series of several sloppy passes from the back, but he made up for it by scoring a thumping header from a corner in the second half, after having an earlier effort ruled out. PA -
Kieran Tierney – 6 The Scottish defender did well to keep up with Redmond’s pace along the left-hand side. He collected an assist as he headed the ball into the box for Odegaard to nod home. Getty -
Thomas Partey -6 The Ghanaian midfielder helped his side win the battle in the middle of the park. During the second half, he made a surging run forward which created a chance on goal. A solid if not unspectacular showing from the midfield man. Reuters -
Granit Xhaka – 5 Arsenal’s former captain saw little of the ball. However, he filled the space when needed, covering for defenders and passing accurately, before being replaced by Lakonga. Getty -
Bukayo Saka – 7 The academy product took a while to get into the game after picking up an early yellow card for a foul on Walker-Peters. He then put in a great cross for the first goal and was unlucky not to score after hitting the post. AFP -
Martin Odegaard – 7 Arsenal’s No.8 headed home the Gunners’ second goal of the game. He made some good passes in the final third and was a constant nuisance. Getty -
Gabriel Martinelli – 8 Arsenal’s best player; his pace meant he had the beating of his opponents while his dribbling ability kept meant his side was dominant in the final third. He nearly grabbed a goal, but it was deflected off the woodwork. Getty -
Alexandre Lacazette – 7 The Frenchman opened the scoring for Arsenal with a thunderbolt into the top-right hand corner. He stepped up with a captain’s performance, and later came off with Mikel Arteta keeping one eye on West Ham, the Gunners’ next opponents. Getty -
SUBS: Rob Holding – 6 (69’ for Gabriel) Came on for Gabriel part-way through the second half and helped his side to see out a clean-sheet. He was good on the ball and performed a top quality switch across to Tomiyasu. EPA -
Sambi Lakonga – N/A (80’ for Granit Xhaka) The young midfielder came on with 10 minutes to go and didn’t make a huge impact. Still, when he received the ball he controlled it brilliantly, and he drew several fouls. Getty -
Nicolas Pepe – N/A (82’ for Alexandre Lacazette) After replacing Lacazette, the £72m winger tried to control the game in the dying minutes. He pressed well when needed and helped secure the three points. EPA -
SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Willy Caballero – 5 Southampton’s new singing had a mixed game; he rescued his team a number of times with good saves, including a stop to deny Saka. However, he should have done better for Gabriel’s goal in which he didn’t commit to the ball. AFP -
Tino Livramento – 6 The Chelsea loanee made several good blocks against Martinelli throughout the game. He was one of the visitors’ better players. Getty -
Jack Stephens – 5 The centre-back didn’t do anything of major note apart from a great sliding tackle to deny Martinelli a close-range shot. Getty -
Jan Bednarek -6 The defender stopped Lacazette with a great block and he made several interceptions, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Gunners’ from getting the victory. Getty -
Kyle Walker-Peters – 7 The former Spurs defender made a number of good runs forward as he tried to create an attack. His movements along the wing were encouraging for the Saints but they couldn’t capitalise. His highlight was a strong tackle against Lacazette. Getty -
Ibrahima Diallo – 5 The midfielder lost the battle in the middle of the pitch. He did, however, press well while Arsenal had the ball, which forced some stray passes. AP -
James Ward-Prowse – 6 Southampton’s captain nearly converted from some set-piece situations, but it wasn’t his team’s day as they failed again to beat Arsenal at the Emirates. EPA -
Nathan Redmond – 6 The long-serving winger put in some good crosses into the Arsenal box, but his side couldn’t finish them off. He saw a strong shot in a crowded box saved well by Ramsdale as he looked to try and get on the scoresheet. Reuters -
Nathan Tella – 5 An average game from the winger after a bright start. He made some good runs into the box and even had a shot parried away by Ramsdale, but he couldn’t create enough to grab a goal. Getty -
Adam Armstrong – 6 He had to come off with an injury before half-time due to injury but showed off some good footwork while he was on the pitch. Reuters -
Armando Broja -4 A poor performance from the loanee. His control was poor, and his dribbling often led to a loss of possession. He was subsequently subbed in the second half. AP -
SUBS: Lyanco – 5 (69’ for Armando Broja) The defender came on after all the goals and by then Arsenal’s potency had faded. He was average in a poor team display. Reuters -
Mohamed Elyounoussi – 5 (42’ for Adam Armstrong) The attacker replaced the injured Armstrong but failed to get the goal that Southampton needed. He received little service as they spent most of the game defending. AFP
Arteta could turn back to Granit Xhaka, who lost the captaincy in 2019 after making an offensive gesture to Arsenal fans, after saying that he will use the leadership group in the squad before appointing a new skipper.
“Obviously, it is a really unpleasant situation and it is not the moment to make any rash decisions,” added Arteta. “That leadership group is very strong and it is working really well.”
Alexandre Lacazette captained Arsenal in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Southampton, before passing the armband to Xhaka when he was substituted. But Lacazette is in the final months of his contract and Xhaka could have joined Roma last summer. Hector Bellerin, who was vice-captain, is on loan at Real Betis while back-up defender Rob Holding is also in the leadership group. Kieran Tierney, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard might be long-term options to take over.
Aubameyang scored twice in both the FA Cup semi-final and final when Arteta won his first trophy in 2020. However, he had his poorest goalscoring season for a decade last year, getting only 10 league goals. He has struck just four times in 14 Premier League matches this season and was dropped for the 3-2 defeat at Everton even before he was disciplined.
