[Video] New Arsenal Signing Gets the Better of Liverpool Star
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The Mikel Arteta era at Arsenal has been defined by transformation, tactical evolution, and gradual progress toward silverware.
His five-and-a-half years at the Emirates have brought two FA Cups and restored Champions League football to North London.
Mikel Arteta (via Metro)
Yet for all his tactical innovations and squad rebuilding, one decision stands above all others as his most damaging miscalculation.
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The Aubameyang Exile That Changed Everything
In December 2021, Arteta made a call that still reverberates through the corridors of the Emirates.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy following what the club termed a “disciplinary breach.”
The 32-year-old was left out of Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Southampton back in December 2021, with sources having told ESPN he returned late from a sanctioned trip to his unwell mother in France.
Within weeks, Arsenal’s top scorer was banished completely, eventually joining Barcelona on a free transfer in February 2022.
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The Numbers Don’t Lie
At the time of his exile, Aubameyang remained Arsenal’s most clinical finisher.
During his Arsenal career, he scored 92 goals in 163 appearances – a strike rate that the club has struggled to replace even with significant investment in attacking reinforcements.
Aubameyang and Arteta fell out during the 2021-22 season, with the forward stripped of the Arsenal captaincy and allowed to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
Arteta’s unwillingness to find middle ground between discipline and pragmatism cost Arsenal their most natural finisher at a critical juncture in their development.
While Arteta has overseen significant progress since 2021, the Aubameyang decision remains the clearest example of prioritizing principles over results – a mistake that continues to influence Arsenal’s attacking limitations.
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