Chris Sutton Questions Mikel Arteta’s Decision To Bring Aubameyang Rift Into Public Domain

By The Editor
on 14th December 2021

Chris Sutton wonders why Mikel Arteta made Aubameyang’s disciplinary issues public…

Premier League pundit Chris Sutton has questioned Mikel Arteta’s decision to make Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s disciplinary issues public, the former Celtic striker told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta left Aubamyang out of the squad that defeated Southampton on Saturday for what he described as a “disciplinary breach”.

It was later reported by The Athletic that Aubameyang, with the club’s blessing, went to France to visit his mother with the intention of returning to London with her.

Aubameyang reportedly agreed to be back on Wednesday and, provided he returned a negative Covid-19 test, would be able to resume training on Thursday.

However, the 32-year-old returned a day later than expected and didn’t follow Covid-19 protocol and was therefore sent home and told he wouldn’t be involved in the Premier League clash last weekend.

Arteta, ahead of a crucial game coming off the back of back-to-back defeats, decided to be honest and reveal the exact reason as to why Aubamyang was missing – something Sutton found interesting.

“What surprised me in some respects is why Arteta brought this out into the public domain because he must have known what the reaction and response would be,” Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live.

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“If he’s made a rule up for Aubameyang and Aubameyang breaks that rule which he has done, then if he doesn’t come down hard on him, he has a massive problem on his hands.

“He should be disciplined but I still can’t work out why he brought it into the public domain. He could have made any excuses, but that suggests there is a big rift there.”

With the games coming thick and fast in the festive period, one wonders how long Arteta decides to keep Aubamyang sidelined, with the Spaniard refusing to comment on the prospect of further punishment.