Arsenal have been told that failure to land Champions League football this season will be because of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Mikel Arteta was desperate to rid himself of the Gabon international at the Emirates after a breach of discipline in December.
It saw the striker stripped of the captaincy and ostracised from the squad while he would not play again for the Gunners.
Despite the ongoing search of a forward, the Gunners were prepared to cut ties with Aubameyang as they tried to move him on.
And while Arsenal failed to sign Dusan Vlahovic, Alexander Isak and Raul de Tomas, that did not stop the north London club from letting their main striker go.
Aubameyang’s contract was ripped up and he was allowed to sign for Barcelona on a free transfer and not everyone is pleased.
That includes Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn, who believes that if the Gunners miss out on Champions League football it is because of the 32-year-old.
He told Paddy Power: “Everyone is scratching their heads over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure from Arsenal.
"We’ve heard parts of the story from two or three different sources, but we don’t have the full picture from both sides.
“Could both Aubameyang and Arsenal have dealt with it better? Yes, probably.
“It feels as if Aubameyang was the captain and then something went awry. Him losing the captaincy wasn’t based on a one-off issue – there were several.
"Mikel Arteta decided that ‘enough is enough, you’re the captain of this club and I am trying to lead a young team, and it’s not acceptable.’
“The problem with his departure is that its left Arsenal short. If they finish fourth, then people will accept him leaving. If they don’t, then Arteta and Aubameyang should have put their differences aside until the season ends.
“It’s been such a strong stance from Arteta and the club, that they felt the best move was for Aubameyang to leave. Perhaps the Amazon documentary will reveal more.”
Arsenal are one of a handful of teams that are gunning down a spot in the top four and were looking in fine fettle over the festive period.
Was Mikel Arteta right to axe Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? Comment below
But counting on Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as their main strikers going into the rest of the season is a gamble.
In 20 Premier League appearances between them, they have just three goals and the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham will be hoping for better results to beat their rivals to the Champions League spot.
The Red Devils currently occupy that position but Arsenal and Spurs both have games in hand over them.
