Mikel Arteta has revealed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not come back into consideration for a recall at Arsenal ahead of their trip to Leeds on Saturday.
The Gabon international striker was not selected on Wednesday as Arsenal defeated West Ham 2-0 at Emirates Stadium to jump into the Premier League’s top four.
That was the second game Aubameyang had been forced to sit out in a week that also saw him stripped of captaincy duties at Emirates Stadium following a breach of discipline.
Following the win over the Hammers, Arteta was asked by BT Sport if Aubameyang would feature in Arsenal’s next match.
The head coach replied: “He wasn’t eligible for this game and that’s it. This game is gone. We will discuss it in the near future.”
That time has now come, with the Spanish coach stating that the 32-year-old frontman will once again be forced to watch on from afar when the Gunners head to Elland Road.
He has said: “No, he’s not available for selection.”
Arteta went on to say when asked about what Aubameyang needs to do in order to be welcomed back into the fold: “Well, he’s not available for the Leeds game, and this is the situation right now.”
Pressed further on whether the issues with the former skipper could impact plans to tie Alexandre Lacazette – who has filled the armband of late – to a new contract, the Gunners boss said: “Alex’s performances, involvement and commitment is without question.
“It’s not related to his contract situation. I discussed it in the summer with him – what the situation was – and we are both clear on that. Auba’s situation is something separate to that.”
What did Aubameyang do?
Arteta initially dropped the striker for Arsenal’s match against Southampton after he was absent from a pre-match training session.
After a 3-0 win over the Saints, Arsenal released a statement saying Aubameyang had been stripped of the club’s captaincy and would also not be considered for selection against the Hammers.
In the statement, Arteta said: “The decision that we have taken as a club is very clear. It is because we believe that he has failed to be committed at the level that we all expect and agreed.
“That commitment and passion has to be there. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.”
