There have been times when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been reminiscent of Thierry Henry, gliding past defenders with the sort of slick, effortless acceleration that made him seem the footballing equivalent of a sports car, finishing with classy displays of superiority.
Now the figure from Arsenal’s past he resembles most is Mesut Ozil. Not in terms of serving as the creator in chief, either, conjuring gorgeous assists. If the German had the worst contract in the Premier League a year ago, now perhaps Aubameyang does.
Stripped of the captaincy, omitted from the Arsenal team for the last two games, the £300,000-a-week man may not return at Leeds on Saturday. Mikel Arteta has declined to answer questions if he will be selected and about his future. With the African Cup of Nations in January, Aubameyang’s exile could last two months.
Perhaps it will be permanent. But after Arteta played hardball, it means potential suitors are likelier to lowball Arsenal with any offers for an outcast. They can write off his £56 million fee. They may have to subsidise his wages for him to play for anyone else. The worst-case scenario is the Ozil precedent, of a marquee signing first paid not to play and then paid off. It could be another expensive embarrassment.
The paradox is that as Arsenal’s position has never been better this season in another respect. By beating West Ham, they leapfrogged them. Bottom at the end of August, Arsenal are now fourth. Stay there and Arteta has achieved his primary aim for the campaign.
Arsenal v West Ham ratings
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ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale 7 - It was a quieter night than usual but Ramsdale was alert when called upon, making a strong stop against Bowen’s deflected shot. Gwetty -
Takehiro Tomiyasu 6 - Dealt well in his defensive duties but had a moment of fear with a backwards header almost snuck past Ramsdale. AFP -
Ben White 7 - Enjoyed a good battle with Michail Antonio and was always positioned well to clear the danger from direct balls. An assured display. Getty -
Gabriel 7 - A fairly faultless performance other than one pass which could have been delivered with more care. Close to getting on the scoresheet with a spectacular volley from a corner. Reuters -
Kieran Tierney 7 - Nearly scored one of the goals of the season as the Scotland international unleashed a strike from range, only to be denied by the finger tips of Fabianski. AFP -
Granit Xhaka 6 - Moved the ball well from the midfield and came close to scoring with a strike inside the box. Reuters -
Thomas Partey 6 - Kept things simple but didn’t have too much defending to do. Arsenal kept control of the game with only a handful of counters to deal with. PA -
Gabriel Martinelli 7 - A smart run and cool finish saw Martinelli place the ball past Fabianski to put Arsenal into the lead. Getty -
Martin Odegaard 8 - Took plenty of intricate touches to link play and got his teammates into space in some dangerous areas. Getty -
Bukayo Saka 8 - Many of Arsenal’s best attacks came down the right flank with Saka proving to be a menace, forcing West Ham to double up on him to limit his influence. Involved in all of his side's best moves. Getty -
Alexandre Lacazette 8 - The French striker didn’t play like a man who was out of contract in the summer. He battled for every ball and brought others into play - picking up an assist for Martinelli in the process. Unlucky to miss from the spot. Getty -
SUBS: Emile Smith Rowe (Odegaard 66) 7 - Introduced for Odegaard and put the game to bed with a drilled strike from outside of the box. Getty -
Edward Nketiah (Martinelli 82) N/A - On for Martinelli (82). PA -
Nuno Tavares (Lacazette 89) N/A - On for Lacazette (89). Getty -
WEST HAM RATINGS: Lukasz Fabianski 8 - A sensational save denied Tierney and the 36-year-old then saved Lacazette’s penalty to keep his side in the game while 1-0 down. Can't be blamed for the result. Getty -
Arthur Masuaku 6 - Had some respectable moments in a difficult battle against Bukayo Saka but he will be glad to see the back of the young England international who looked to challenge him all game. Getty -
Issa Diop 7 - Strong in the heart of the defence, stopping a certain goal when Saka connected to a cutback with power. Could have got tighter to Smith-Rowe for the second goal but was facing an overload. EPA -
Craig Dawson 7 - A solid display from the centre-back saw him often positioned well to prevent Arsenal from scoring. Arsenal could have been two goals to the good but for Dawson’s efforts in the first half. PA -
Vladimir Coufal 5 - Got the ball with his tackle that gave away a penalty, but seemed to talk himself into a second yellow card and sending off with his complaints. AFP -
Declan Rice 6 - Not Rice’s best performance against Arsenal’s intricate passing. The Hammers were pinned into their own half for too long, and this meant Rice couldn’t get on the ball and maraud forward as we’ve seen in recent games. Reuters -
Tomas Soucek 7 - Stopped a number of attacks in the middle of the park but was prevented from affecting the game on the other end of the pitch. AFP -
Pablo Fornals 6 - Worked hard and tracked back to help deal with the threat of Saka, but only at the expense of not being involved when West Ham finally got the ball. Getty -
Manuel Lanzini 7 - Tried to be positive on the ball but it looked as though West Ham were slow to get numbers up at the same pace that Arsenal got defenders back. Getty -
Jarrod Bowen 6 - Not involved as much as usual as West Ham struggled to get him regular service. A decent effort was saved by the goalkeeper. AFP -
Michail Antonio 6 - Came in and out of the game and while confident when running on the ball, there was little end product. AFP -
Said Benrahma (Lanzini 76) N/A - Anonymous when introduced. AFP -
Harrison Ashby (Fornals 84) N/A - On for Fornals in the 84th minute. AFP
Yet a sense of vindication comes with some Arsenal-esque peculiarities. Aubameyang’s immediate replacement as striker and interim captain is Alexandre Lacazette, another ageing striker who cost Arsenal a large sum they will have to write off. As the Frenchman’s contract expires in the summer, he scarcely appears a figurehead for a new era. He was marginalised at the start of the season. Now he is playing well but a penalty miss against West Ham means he has only two goals in 12 league games.
Instead, Arsenal are prospering by reducing the reliance on their major strikers. In 2019-20, they scored 56 league goals; Aubameyang and Lacazette got 32 of them. Now there is more of a collective commitment with the scoring duties shared. A criticism of some of Arteta’s attacking midfielders and wingers is that they did not get enough goals. Now that is being rectified.
Martin Odegaard scored two goals in his first 25 Premier League games. He has three in four now, including a predator’s close-range header against Southampton. Emile Smith Rowe’s late strike against West Ham was his fifth in seven top-flight outings, after just three in the previous 30. Gabriel Martinelli has two in five. Bukayo Saka has assists in the last two matches. Odegaard is 22, Smith Rowe 21, Martinelli and Saka both 20.
But there is the exception to the rule. Nicolas Pepe is, at 26, the one Arsenal attacker who should be in his peak years. Instead, he has played seven minutes since October. A return to Elland Road is a reminder of his red card last season for stupidly headbutting Ezgjan Alioski.
Pepe cost £72 million, a figure that looked inflated long before a credit crunch in the wider European game deflated fees for a lot of players. As Aubameyang can testify, Arteta prizes control and is unafraid to penalise those who show a lack of discipline. The emphasis in the Arsenal team has shifted from the bigger buys towards his younger proteges. But while Aubameyang’s scoring returns have diminished, it remains a test if Lacazette and the newly prolific midfielders can get the goals to keep Arsenal in the top four.
