Arsenal could regret Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang departure after failing to sign replacement

When Arsenal posted a send-off video for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on their Twitter page on Monday, it immediately divided opinion among fans.

The club tweeted:

“For the match-winning moments. For the iconic celebrations. For making us smile. Thank you for everything, Auba.”

Some believe the Gabon striker deserves a second chance, irrespective of what happened in the past. However, others have a different opinion.

For the latter, no player is bigger than the club, and Arsenal’s decision to cut ties with Aubemeyang is the right thing to do. However, no matter how you look at it, there is a consensus that things could’ve been handled better.

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Gunners left with just two strikers

Aubemeyang is now set to join Barcelona after leaving Arsenal by mutual consent. His transfer will put an end to a tumultuous few weeks, which saw him suspended from the first team and later stripped of the club’s captaincy.

In the end, though, the Gunners are the biggest losers. Mikel Arteta may have taken this route to instill discipline in the squad, but the team is now without its best forward.

Aubameyang’s departure means the club are now left with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as their only recognized strikers. For a team aiming to challenge for a top-four place, these options are clearly not going to be enough.

It could be argued that Aubemeyang has been off-color since the start of the season, but he was still the club’s most potent striker among the lot. You don’t score 92 goals in 163 games without being world-class. That is what he gave Arsenal during his time at the Emirates, and they will definitely miss him.

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Arsenal’s damning record of losing big players for free

The only positive from this situation is that Aubameyang’s departure didn’t drag out like that of Mezut Ozil a year ago.

However, the Gunners are beginning to gain a reputation for losing star players for free. Shkodran Mustafi also left for free last summer, and Lacazette is also currently running down his contract, which expires in six months.

For a club that doesn’t really spend much and is usually reluctant to match the spending power of its rivals, this is certainly not the way to go.

In Aubameyang’s case, though, he has found a new home in Barcelona. And it is Arsenal who may yet bear the brunt of allowing him to leave without signing a replacement.