Mikel Arteta Happy with Aubameyang Decision to Stay
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he is “pretty positive” about agreeing on a new contract with 30-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Aubameyang’s current deal runs out in June 2021, and Arteta says the club have to show him why he should stay.
According to Arteta, he said: “He needs to feel valued, he needs to feel he belongs to us and that we want him.” The Gabon international says whether he signs a new deal is “possibly the most important decision” of his career. Aubameyang has so far scored 61 goals in 97 appearances for the Gunners since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2018.
Arteta also said: “I think at the moment I am extremely happy with how he’s been performing and behaving. “I have a really good relationship with him and we can discuss face to face a lot of things. So far as I’m aware I think he’s very happy at the club.”
However, while Arteta remains optimistic, Aubameyang told French football programme Telefoot that he “hasn’t had an offer recently” from the club. “I did speak to the club quite a few months ago, and they know why nothing has happened yet,” he said.
“It’s a turning point in my career and I want to be honest with everyone. “They have the keys. It is up to them to do their work and, after that, we will see how things go. It’ll certainly be a very difficult decision to make.”
Before the league was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, Arteta said he wanted to keep Aubameyang “under any circumstances” and the club needed to discuss a new deal with their captain before the end of the season.
Barcelona, Inter Milan and Manchester United were all showing interest in the Arsenal point man, but he has signed a contract extension with Arsenal. The Arsenal skipper will lead the Gunnars team to the Etihad Stadium when they travel to face second-placed Manchester City when the Premier League restarts on Wednesday.