Falling out with Mikel Arteta and generally having a rather average first half of the season with Arsenal, everything pointed towards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s time with the Gunners coming to an end in January, and it did.
After a lot of back and forth, the Gabon international was released from his contract at the Emirates, free to sign wherever he pleased, with the forward choosing Barcelona.
The 32-year-old joined the La Liga side, and he hasn’t wasted time showcasing just how happy he is on and off the pitch, scoring nine goals in 11 games, seven of which have come in seven league matches.
The last two came in this weekend’s 4-0 drubbing of Real Madrid in El Clasico at the Bernabéu, meaning that Barcelona still haven’t lost in the league since Aubameyang joined.
That’s why AS claim Arteta ‘must be biting his fists’ at losing the veteran forward, and ‘more than one Arsenal fan must wonder’ what went through their manager’s head ‘to push aside and let a player’ like him ‘escape’.
They believe he is ‘going to become of the great signings of the season’, with his output ‘not normal’, managing to also ‘revitalise’ Ousmane Dembélé in the process.
While this is all well and good, it’s also worth pointing out that Arsenal haven’t exactly missed Aubameyang, losing just the one game in the league since he left, which was to a dominant Liverpool.
They’ve won every other game since, with the latest being a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The upcoming run against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton will certainly give the Gunners hope for more wins in the coming weeks, and while Aubameyang is enjoying himself in Barcelona, we doubt many Arsenal fans will be avidly missing him these days.
