Mikel Arteta's recent comments on how he has looked to change the culture within Arsenal have gone some way to explaining why he saw fit to exile Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before his departure.
The Gabon international's relationship with Arteta deteriorated after what was described by the club as Aubameyang's "latest disciplinary breach" which saw the striker cast aside for a month and a half before he upped sticks to FC Barcelona. The Arsenal boss has stood firm in his desire to oversee a huge culture shift inside the club ever since he was first appointed back in December 2019.
It has not been easy for the Spaniard, but he has weeded out and sanctioned the exits of players that were potentially guilty of not pulling their weight for the side - Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi to name three. All of the aforementioned trio had plenty of supporters inside the Gunners fanbase but Arteta was bold enough to make the decision to go to war with them amid cries from fans to reintegrate them all into the team at varying times.
As the Gunners manager turns 40, he has opened up on his methods and what he is trying to achieve in North London. "It is a place where they [the players] can grow, they can participate and everyone can add value to the club.," Arteta told Arsenal.com.
"When you get that, you create a real sense of belonging and that's something more powerful than just personal interest. I think that's been one of our biggest wins so far." His comments read like a man desperately trying to get all of his troops pulling in the same direction, without interference from inside his own camp.
Arteta appeared to reference the Aubameyang saga without naming the former Gunners forward directly. "We had to make some important decisions and get the club moving in the right direction, so that we could also achieve that in the long-term.
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"There have been some very difficult decisions to make. First of all you need to come up with a plan. You have to have a lot of support from within the club to do it, and then the decisions need to be right.
"Until now I think one of the biggest successes has been to create – as a club – a culture and an atmosphere where our players, staff and everyone can feel that this is a place where they can fulfil their potential."
Arteta's methods have worked this term as the Gunners have bounced back from a disastrous start to now sit fourth inside the Champions League qualification places with just ten games to go. Arsenal boast a three-point lead over their nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur as well as having played one game less than Antonio Conte's side.
