Arsenal have confirmed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the club captaincy and will not be considered for selection against West Ham.
The 32-year-old missed Saturday’s 3-0 win against Southampton after failing to return on time from an authorised trip abroad earlier in the week.
Mikel Arteta confirmed before the win that the Gabon international was dropped because of a ‘disciplinary’ issue and it’s not the first time that the Spaniard has been forced to take action against the striker.
‘Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United,’ a statement on Arsenal’s website read.
‘We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed.We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.’
Aubameyang was made club captain just over two years ago after Granit Xhaka had the armband taken off him by Unai Emery.
The forward’s timekeeping has been a problem throughout his career and he was regularly disciplined at Dortmund for failing to turn up on time for team meetings.
Reports on Tuesday claimed Aubemayng has lost vast swathes of the dressing room after his latest disciplinary breach.
While respected for his career, some question whether Aubameyang has the leadership skills to captain the club.
Kieran Tierney, Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsdale are all contenders to replace Aubameyang as club skipper.
Arteta is set to address the media later this afternoon, where he is expected to give an update on the situation.
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