5 reasons why the Aubameyang deal doesn't make sense for Arsenal
According to reports from Sky Sports, Arsenal have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for £60 million, assuming Borussia Dortmund find a replacement before the transfer windows shuts. The Gabon international has been trying to force a move this month and it looks like his wish is finally being granted by his current employers.
It appears as if the Gunners' management has taken the criticism regarding their transfer politics to heart and is looking to break their club record transfer fee for the second time in as many transfer windows, after paying an initial fee of £46.5 million for Alexandre Lacazette in the summer.
Fans will agree, that it is encouraging to see Arsene Wenger break the bank for players that he wants. Arsenal's recent activities in the transfer market may signal that they have finally understood that they need to spend to compete.
While spending money to stay in touch with the rest of the top six is necessary, spending it the right way is equally important. It's the second time the Gunners are spending this much on a striker and it should be brought into question, whether they could invest their money in a better way.
With that being said, we look at 5 reasons why the Aubameyang deal makes no sense from the Gunners' point of view.
#5 Yet another attacking player
Admittedly, this could be seen as a positive. Having many players at your disposal means that you have various options and can adapt to pretty much any situation. However, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang now being added to the mix, the competition for places in the Gunners' attack is almost ridiculous.
While Özil's contract situation is still open, you do start to wonder whether the club knows more about his future than it is willing to admit at the moment. However, as long as there is still a slim hope of him staying at the Emirates, he will be their first name on the team sheet.
With Arsenal continuously buying attackers, discontent among Arsene Wenger's squad seems inevitable at the moment. Neither Aubameyang nor Mkhitaryan like playing on the wings, but there is honestly no other way to implement them into the team without changing tactics or dropping one of their star players.
Frankly, Lacazette hasn't really hit the ground running at his new club. Despite his link-up play being promising, he has only scored nine goals this campaign, and Arsenal will certainly be expecting more from their centre-forward,
Should Aubameyang directly replace Lacazette up front, the Gunners would basically admit that the Frenchman isn't the long-term solution they were hoping for.