Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that he is ready to stay at the club, dispelling rumors of an exit from Emirates Stadium. The Gabonese international joined Arsenal for a club-record fee of £56 million from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in January 2018. The 30-year-old, however, remains under contract at the north London club until June 2021.
The 30-year-old has been in prolific form for Mikel Arteta’s side this season, scoring 17 goals in 26 games in the Premier League. Aubameyang is arguably Arsenal’s most important player this season and has netted 57 times in 93 appearances for the north London club.
Aubameyang has recently been linked with a move away from the club amid Arsenal’s poor start to the season and reports from Spain claim that Real Madrid will make a player-plus-cash offer for the Gabon international worth up to £70m.
Arteta has, however, stated his desire to keep his starman and top goal scorer at the Emirates Stadium beyond the current transfer window. The club captain and his teammates have improved drastically under the Spaniard, cumulating in a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Manchester United on New Year’s Day.
FutballNews reports that Arsenal may sell the forward rather than run the risk of letting him leave on a free in the future, particularly if they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
However, speaking to the club’s official website, Aubameyang claimed that he still has unfinished business at the Emirates stadium. He added that playing for Arsenal means a lot to him.
“It means a lot (to play here),” he said. “When I was younger I used to watch Arsenal because they always had great players and they won trophies as well. I think it is really a pleasure to be here, I am really happy- that’s my feeling.”
The Arsenal striker said he appreciated Gunners’ fans cheered him up after his horror miss against Olympiacos and when the Greek side knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League at the last-32 stage.
He said: “I love the fans here. On my Insta, I am happy I have them because after this miss everyone could say ‘he killed us today’ but everybody sent me messages to say ‘keep your head up’ and stuff like that so I am just happy to have them and happy with them.
“When I came back home [after the Olympiacos game], I saw my kids and they talked to me and said, ‘don’t worry this can happen’. I am glad to have them, it’s true that it is cruel, but that’s football.”
Aubameyang’s immediate focus will be on helping Arsenal end the season strongly and qualify for Europe, with the Gunners only eight points behind fourth-placed Chelsea following their recent good run of form.
