Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Arsenal in January of 2022 having been exiled from the squad by Mikel Arteta after arriving late from a sanctioned trip to France. It was the latest in a list of breaches of discipline that Arteta revealed in the Amazon 'All or Nothing' documentary series he had made a detailed document for.
Arsenal, however, now watch on as Barcelona, the side he joined after a lengthy late January negotiation, could potentially make a serious profit on the Gabonese forward. Chelsea are in talks with the player and club over a deal with football.london understanding the Blues are confident their £22million offer will be accepted.
Naturally, the club have faced criticism for missing out on a potential pay-off. But the reality of the situation when analysed makes it much clearer why the La Liga side are able to earn a serious fee for the player.
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Apply the context of Aubameyang at Arsenal. Firstly, this took place in the January transfer window, a notoriously difficult period to do major business for players coming both in and out.
Clubs on the lookout for strikers were limited and only Barcelona showed any interest toward the end of the window with their initial intention to sign the player on loan. Not to mention the money involved.
Aubameyang was on a reported £350,000 per week at Arsenal, a wage he would have returned to upon the completion of a loan move. Instead, he now earns closer to £185,000 per week according to Capology, a yearly wage of -£9.7million.
The difference between how attractive a player profile is to a team where the wage is nearly half of what it was is significant. Furthermore, his form in January compared to the conclusion of the La Liga season was drastic.
He scored just four Premier League goals prior to being dropped and stripped of the captaincy. In just 17 La Liga matches he then scored 11 goals for Barcelona.
Therefore, when you compare these two scenarios and combine all the different situational factors these two moments to facilitate a transfer are stark. Better form, lower wages and a clear buyer with a need in the position, you can see clearly why Barca are having no issues with getting a fee for the 33-year-old.
That said, I would question Chelsea’s decision to move for the striker. The mega-money signing of Romelu Lukaku is only at Inter Milan on loan and will return with the club who will still need to sell him on and will then have a 34-year-old Aubameyang next summer on the squad list too.
Aubameyang’s Premier League form before he left was not the best. Perhaps this links to the club more so than him personally, a move to Chelsea will provide the answer.
However, Arsenal should perhaps not be on the end of excessive criticism should a transfer happen this month. Eight months is a long time in football as the differences in Aubameyang’s position show.
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