Things have gone from bad to worse for Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. After he was left out of the team for Premier League’s clash against Southampton over the weekend, Aubameyang has now also lost his captaincy.
The London team confirmed the news on their official website on Wednesday, issuing a statement in which they said that Aubameyang was stripped of his captaincy due to a “disciplinary breach last week.” The 32-year-old will also miss the upcoming match against West Ham United for the same reason.
While the Premier League club didn’t share further details about the “breach”, the reports say Aubameyang was punished after returning late from a “sanctioned holiday.”
According to The Athletic, the player was allowed to go and visit his sick mother last week. He was told to return on Wednesday night, but instead, Aubameyang returned on Thursday morning. This didn’t sit well with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who then decided the Gabon international isn’t suited for wearing the captain’s armband anymore.
This isn’t the first time Aubameyang clashes with Arteta over punctuality. He was left out for the match against Tottenham last season for arriving late to a team meeting.
Besides having troubles off the field, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has struggled when on the field in the past two seasons. In 14 games he played in Premier League in 2021-22, Aubameyang managed to score only four goals. He had 10 goals in 29 games in 2020-21.
