Emmanuel Adebayor has slammed his former club Arsenal for “never learning” amid the issues surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been ostracised from the Arsenal squad after a reported disciplinary issue which was later revealed to be the striker returning a day late from a sanctioned trip abroad to visit his sick mother.
As a result, Aubameyang – who had already been reprimanded by the club for a prior disciplinary issue – was ostracised from the squad and forced to train alone. The 32-year-old striker hoped to find his form again playing in the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon but COVID prevented him from being fielded until he was sent back to North London to recover.
Now back at Arsenal, it is the same story all over again for the former Borussia Dortmund man. Aubameyang’s Arsenal days are numbered and there appears to be now way out for him.
Emmanuel Adebayor, who himself had a big issue with the club in his playing days leading to the Premier League’s most infamous celebration, has weighed in on the issue.
Adebayor left the North London club for Manchester City in 2009 in an unceremonious manner. In his first game against Arsenal after he left, he scored and ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate in a gloating manner in front of the visiting Arsenal fans.
Former Togo striker Adebayor, who also went on to join Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham, said to Sky on the Aubameyang issue: “I know he’s going to go through a lot because that’s Arsenal for you. They never learn, they never know how to forgive so I know he’s going through a lot
“But he’s a good player, he’s a strong player and a fantastic player so I wish him all the best.
“I’ve sent him a message already and I wish him well and hope that he bounces back because, whether we like it or not, he’s our African brother and we want to keep representing African football the way he was doing before the problem.”
No way back for Aubameyang at Arsenal, Adebayor claims
Aubameyang, 32, is Arsenal’s top earner on £350,000-a-week and has already been placed on the transfer list. Two lucrative offers are reportedly on the table from Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia and Paris Saint-Germain, but the Gunners hierarchy are yet to make any moves on these reported offers.
This could mean Aubameyang will remain in the squad as an outcast if he doesn’t leave in the January window. When asked whether there was a way back for the Gabonese striker, Adebayor said: “At Arsenal, I don’t think so. This is what I knew.
“It happened to me also. Not in the same way. But in Arsenal way back. I would be surprised but let’s see what happens. He’s a great player so let’s see how it ends up.”
Arsenal are currently struggling for goals and with their most prolific striker now a stranger, are looking for reinforcements. Key target Dusan Vlahovic has reportedly refused the chance to play in North London, and now they have set their sights on Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak.
