Don’t expect to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal next season

Aubameyang is still a Gunner, but with his career winding down and no trophies in his cabinet, don’t be surprised to see him move to Barcelona this summer.

At this moment in time, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the best player at Arsenal Football Club – and it’s not even close.

In fact, I’m sure every Arsenal fan would shudder at the thought of where their team would be if they didn’t have the most prolific centre-forward in the Premier League playing on their left-wing. And just a reminder, they’re currently in 9th during the COVID-19 postponement, so even with him, they haven’t been playing particularly well.

With the Gunners on the verge of failing to qualify for the Champions League yet again, based on how the table looks now plus their Europa League exit,  the rumours have started to swirl around Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future, as I’m sure most would have expected. Aubameyang is a player whose ability is deserving of playing in the upper echelons of world football, and at the moment, Arsenal simply isn’t that.

The Gabon international turns 31 in just a few months, and time is winding down on his career. With the only notable trophy in his cabinet being the DFB Pokal victory with Dortmund in 2016-17, Aubameyang will be hungry for some serious silverware as his career comes towards it’s close. Arsenal are in no place to win trophies of value anytime soon, but Barcelona, the club who seem to be the most interested in him, always are.

Yes, the rumours are starting to flood in now, especially as there are no matches to distract the tabloids. While Barcelona have spent plenty of money on their forward line in recent years, injuries have hampered their side this year, and they have a noticeable lack of profiles in their team as well.

Aubameyang truly does fill a serious need for Barcelona – a player who makes runs in behind and can stretch defences. Currently, they possess a plethora of great attackers, but ones who exclusively do their best work on the ball. Aubameyang on the other hand, damages opponents mostly with his work off the ball. He would add an entirely new dimension to the Blaugrana attack, and although he is in his 30’s, he has a few good years ahead of him for sure.

While it would be a huge blow for the Premier League and Arsenal more specifically to lose a player of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s quality, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. They would be getting a pretty handsome fee for a relatively old player, and they would have the opportunity to reinvest that money into their forward line, which also lacks a quality natural left-winger.

With other young stars ready to take up bigger roles such as Saka, Martinelli, Saliba, and Nelson – selling Aubameyang and reinvesting into the future of the club might not be such a bad idea.

For that reason, along with Barcelona’s need for a player of Aubameyang’s talents, prepare to see a lack of front-flips at the Emirates next season, whenever that starts!