Anxiety at Emirates Stadium As Arsenal Strip African Star of Captaincy After Latest Disciplinary Breach

• Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is no longer the captain of Premier League side Arsenal, the club said in a statement
• The Gabonese has received heavy punishment for returning late to the squad from a trip he made to France last week
• As a result, there are growing concerns over the future of the player under manager Mikel Arteta

English Premier League club Arsenal, on Tuesday, December 14, announced that Gabonese superstar Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang has been stripped of captaincy, Mirror reports.

It was gathered that the 32-year-old returned late from a trip to France last week and was consequently let out of the squad for their game against Southampton over the weekend.

Latest announcement by the club adds that the African star has now also been left out of their midweek clash vs West Ham United as he has also been stripped of the arm band.

A club statement said via GiveMeSport:

Aubameyang Told Arsenal Career Is Over Under Mikel Arteta

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"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.

"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."

This adds fuel to the growing concern about the future of the player at the north London club under manager Mikel Arteta.

It increases the question marks that surround the striker's long-term future at the Emirates under head coach Mikel Arteta.

Arteta confirmed that the player had fallen foul of his infamous 'non-negotiables' prior to kick-off against the Saints. Arteta said:

“It was a disciplinary breach and that’s why he was out of the squad. I am not going to say anything else. I am going to focus on the performance and what the team did on the pitch."

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Told Arsenal Career Is Over Under Mikel Arteta

Football

How Arsenal started this Premier League campaign

Meanwhile, Arsenal would be topping the Premier League standings should the season have started in September, statistics show.

The Gunners had a disappointing start to the 2021/22 season as they lost three of their opening fixtures.

The encouraging result over Watford came on the backdrop of several others that have seen the Emirates dwellers go 10 games unbeaten across competitions.

Fears over possible shutdown of the Premier League

Legit.ng earlier reported that there are concerns all over the UK over possible shutdown of the Premier League as Omicron coronavirus continues to spread rapidly.

Several Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United, Norwich City, Aston Villa and Leicester City have all been impacted by the pandemic.

United’s fixture at Brentford has also been postponed following an outbreak within the Red Devils’ camp.