After months of speculation surrounding his future, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract at Arsenal on Tuesday that will keep him at the club until 2023.
Rumours swirled around the Arsenal captain’s future after he scored twice in the FA Cup final in August, but he has at last put pen to paper to secure his future at Emirates Stadium.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Can Become Club Legend at Arsenal
Aubameyang Finally Signs to Seal Future at Arsenal
This was a peculiar contract saga in the sense that an official announcement of Aubameyang’s extension was only made on Tuesday. It had been rumoured that the 31-year-old agreed a new deal with Arsenal in the early weeks of August, but the club took their time to confirm this.
Barcelona were rumoured to be interested in signing the Gunners skipper but did not make an official bid as Aubameyang decided, after several conversations with manager Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal board, that his future lay in north London.
The news will be warmly welcomed by Arteta in particular, with Aubameyang already establishing himself as one of the key players in the Spaniard’s rebuild. A talismanic figure in front of goal, Aubameyang has scored 72 goals in 111 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018/19.
The Gabon international’s status as one of the world’s best finishers will be invaluable to Arsenal as they look to improve on an eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season. With Aubameyang as the spearhead of the Arsenal attack, they are in a great position to mount a challenge for Champions League football, even if a top-four finish is not necessarily expected. Aubameyang’s record as a proven Premier League goalscorer gives Arteta an undoubted edge in his task to resurrect Arsenal.
Aubameyang Has Opportunity to Lead Arsenal to Greater Glories
An FA Cup trophy to end the previous campaign was an excellent achievement in what was Arsenal’s most turbulent season in recent times. However, Aubameyang and Arteta have far greater ambitions.
Arteta is a manager with an unrelenting will to win. He has not shied away from making difficult decisions, demonstrated by his handling of the conduct of Matteo Guendouzi and the saga surrounding Mesut Ozil. He will do whatever it takes to improve Arsenal both on and off the pitch.
The Arsenal manager has a key ally in the form of the talismanic Aubameyang. His willingness to work for the team has been shown by his acceptance to move out to the left-wing from his preferred position of striker. Although the move was criticised in some quarters, the Arsenal skipper has been equally potent on the left-hand side of attack.
Recent strikes against Liverpool and Fulham point to Aubameyang developing what could become his trademark: a curling finish into the top right-hand corner after cutting inside from the left-wing. In the same vein as Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, Aubameyang has the chance to showcase his ability as the team’s main man by leading from the front.
Indeed, the Gunners are a long way from mounting a sustained surge for the Premier League title. However, with the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now assured, he and Arteta are the perfect pair to lead Arsenal to greater glories in years to come.
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