Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Barcelona agree deal to sign Arsenal striker
Talks between Barcelona and Arsenal had earlier broken down; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's last Arsenal appearance came on December 6, and he was stripped of the captaincy later that month after a disciplinary issue
Monday 31 January 2022 23:17, UK
Barcelona have agreed a permanent deal to sign Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer
Arsenal were willing to allow Aubameyang - who had 18 months left on his contract and reputedly earned £350,000 a week - to leave after stripping him of the captaincy in December following an unspecified disciplinary issue.
Arsenal are estimated to be making a saving of around £25m in wages with Aubameyang's departure. But his exit means Mikel Arteta's squad will finish the season with just two recognised strikers at the club, with both Eddie Nketiah and Alex Lacazette out of contract in the summer.
Aubameyang has not played for the club since December 6, and was left out of their squad for their warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
The 32-year-old's move to Spain had looked off earlier on Deadline Day after talks broke down over the financial part of the deal.
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But it's understood that Aubameyang, who flew out to Barcelona on Monday morning, took a significant pay cut to facilitate the move.
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Analysis: Aubameyang had lost his way
Sky Sports' Adam Bate:
The drop in performance levels has been so great that it is probably worth reminding people that Aubameyang was a world-class striker for much of his time at Arsenal.
Indeed, from the day of his debut for the club in February 2018 until the day of his double against Everton in February 2020, no player scored more Premier League goals. He scored 49 times in that period, the same as Mohamed Salah and a dozen more than Harry Kane.
There was a notable highlight after that when he scored twice in Arsenal's FA Cup final win over Chelsea in the summer of 2020. But almost as soon as his new contract was signed that September, there has been a sense of decline, of a player whose best days are behind him.
Stripped of the captaincy, too often the leadership has had to come from elsewhere. It is the young players driving Arsenal on under Mikel Arteta, not their best-paid player. That is a situation the club knows well having been through similar with Mesut Ozil. It cannot last.
At 32, there will be hope that Aubameyang could yet recapture his best form, inspired by new surroundings and the challenge of restoring Barcelona to their former glories. At Arsenal, any regret will be tempered by the feeling that it is time for the club to move on.
Merson: 'Arsenal need a striker'
Paul Merson told Sky Sports:
"If Alexandre Lacazette puts the open goal chance away against Burnley, it is job done and no one is moaning at all.
"Everyone would be talking about how good a result that would have been for Arsenal with a clean sheet too. It's 1-0 to the Arsenal and everything is great. But he misses an open goal and all of a sudden, they have only scored one goal in January, which came in their best performance by a mile.
"That's the problem Arsenal have. You are not going to win too much without a centre forward.
"I know people will say Manchester City do, but they still have to win the Champions League playing with a false nine. They also have superstars all over the pitch and are probably the only team in the world that could do that.
"So, Arsenal need a centre forward."
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