Mikel Arteta Set To Personally Step In And Aim To Resolve Aubameyang’s Future – Report

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract expires next summer and has so far been unwilling to commit his future, Mikel Arteta is set to step in…

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta is reportedly set to personally intervene with regards to the future of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who is out of contract next summer, The Telegraph reports.

Differing reports over the weekend emerged regarding whether or not Aubemayang had been offered a new deal. ESPN claimed no contract has been offered, while The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano stated that a deal has been on the table for the Gabonese star since December.

Arteta, in his short tenure, has already single-handedly convinced a senior player to stay after talking Granit Xhaka out of a move back to Germany in January.

It goes to show his growing influence at the Arsenal given that the club has moved away from the traditional structure of having the manager involved in off-the-field decisions.

Those jobs fall on the likes of Edu and Raul Sanllehi, but Arteta is reportedly set to be drafted in an attempt to work his magic again.

The report states that Aubameynag wants Champions League football and given that we’re currently languishing in 9th place, it looks unlikely that we’ll return among Europe’s elite next term.

However, Arteta will try and sell a new vision to the former Dortmund man as the Spaniard builds the team in his image after taking the reins from Unai Emery.

While Arteta’s efforts are admirable, it contradicts statements he’s made during the lockdown about having to convince players to stay or join our football club.

“It doesn’t need much convincing and if they do, for me it’s not a good starting point. If I have to convince a player to stay or to join us. To Arsenal? It holds me back a little bit,” the gaffer told Ian Wright.

Informing Aubameyang about the vision is one thing, trying to convince him of our stature is another. If he wants to leave with 12 months left on his deal, we must sell.