25 December 2023 , 21:00
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Arsenal career endured a steep decline when he crossed the line one too many times for Mikel Arteta's liking.
The Gunners star, who was their talisman and captain during his pomp at the Emirates, had been reprimanded by the Spaniard previous to his final misdemeanour. A disciplinary issue saw him named on the bench for a north London derby win over Tottenham in March 2021.
He was left out nine months later as Arsenal saw off Southampton at home, with few imagining he would've played his last game for the club at that point. Aubameyang hadn't taken note of his manager's ruthless streak with Arteta clarifying why his striker was absent.
“Unfortunately, due to a disciplinary breach," he said. ”I think we have been very consistent, there are non-negotiables we have set as a club and I think we have been very consistent.”
It is understood that Aubameyang failed to return from a trip in the time frame that was laid out. Arsenal allowed the player to head back to France to see his ill mother and bring her back to the UK. He would be exiled from the first team as a result but the Gabon international made his feelings clear during that period.
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With his future unclear he posted an image of his family by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and simply said captioned it: "Merry Christmas #Familyfirst".
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang uploaded a cryptic post during his Arsenal exile
The player had been reprimanded for a second disciplinary breach in less than a yearAubameyang had been the man to help Arteta win his first trophy as a manager, just months after stepping away from being Pep Guardiola's no 2 at Manchester City. The striker scored twice in the 2020 FA Cup final as Arsenal saw off Chelsea and months later was handed a lucrative new deal.
His form dipped however and Aubameyang's huge wage was used as a stick to beat him with. Arteta had grown tired of the disciplinary issues and, less than two months later, the club opted to terminate the player's deal as they cut ties and moved on without him.
Throughout the six-and-a-half-week saga, Aubameyang had remained an outcast with Arteta regularly fielding questions regarding his player. "We’ll take it game by game. That was the decision," said the Arsenal boss when he was asked about the player in late December.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang endured a major breakdown in his relationship with Mikel Arteta (PA)Arsenal won four of their six games during the period in which Aubameyang was frozen out. Their only loss was a narrow one as they were undone by champions Manchester City en route to a fifth-place finish. Aubameyang was part of the team's poor start to the season that saw them lose three on the trot, conceding nine in the process.
Arteta though oversaw a renaissance that had them well placed for a Champions League return before a late collapse, but the shoots of their rise had begun. The Spaniard went into a club that had endured a poor period in recent years with the negative feeling beginning to grow.
He'd shown a willingness to rid of players who he deemed to be bad apples. Mesut Ozil was the first major casualty of his tenure, eventually being allowed to leave. Mateo Guendouzi also fell below the standards expected and was never seen again in Arsenal red.
Arsenal eventually cut ties with the player (Getty Images)Arteta maintained he was no dictator but instead demanded certain characteristics from his players. “I don’t establish my authority by being dictatorial or being ruthless," he said at the time.
"I just ask for respect and commitment. At this level, if I don’t get that I pack my bags and go somewhere else because that is the minimum I can ask for. I am sorry but I am going to expect that from everybody who works for the club. First of all myself, and the day I don’t do that I walk through that door and go and do something else. It is as clear as that."