“I don’t want to hear that their keeper was outstanding” – Darren Bent slams Mikel Arteta over key decision at Arsenal after third straight loss
Arsenal should not have sold Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January, according to former Tottenham striker Darren Bent.
The Gunners have gone from hot favorites to securing a top-four place to being outsiders in the race, following a run of three successive defeats.
Saturday's 1-0 loss to Southampton means Mikel Arteta's side are now sixth in the table, three points behind their arch-north London rivals Spurs, who have a far superior goal difference.
Arsenal have only scored 12 goals since Aubameyang's departure. The former Gunners captain has gone on to score eight goals in nine appearances for Barcelona.
Aubameyang has almost scored as many goals as Arsenal since leaving the club 😯 https://t.co/6eq6PsOg99
HITC report that Arsenal paid the Gabonese forward £7 million to terminate his contract at the Emirates and Bent believes that decision will cost Arteta's side.
The former England striker told TalkSport:
“I don’t want to hear that their keeper was outstanding and we should have scored. Put the ball in the back of the net. You sold Aubameyang for nothing and let him go, and he would have scored a chance (in the Saints game).”
I just knew the January window would come back to bite us. Not replacing Aubameyang in any capacity is just such a clueless mistake. Neither Laca or Nketiah would start for any other team in the division. No attacking potency. Serious serious questions have to be asked of Arteta.
Arsenal's lack of firepower could potentially prevent a return to the Champions League
The Southampton defeat compounded a miserable fortnight for Arsenal, who lost to two other mid-table sides in the Premier League in Crystal Palace and Brighton.
The Athletic reports that Arteta and Aubameyang had fallen out following a disciplinary breach from the 32-year-old forward. That led to the former captain leaving north London for the Camp Nou. However, fans are angry that the Gunners did not sign a replacement.
Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are the only senior strikers left at the club, both of whom are out of contract in the summer. Lacazette, in particular, has faced severe criticism for his form, having only scored twice from open play all season.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor agreed with Bent that Arteta made an error in the January window, telling TalkSport:
“They’ve let Aubameyang go for free and he’s out there at Barcelona scoring goals. So if Arsenal don’t get top four, for me, the problem is that Arteta made a mistake letting him go. And you can’t score, Smith Rowe is still a young player, Martinelli’s still young, Saka’s still young."
"They’re going to have stages where they’re not bang at it. And Arsenal’s bench, players like Pepe, are not good enough to come in and help the young lads. So, for me, Arsenal are going to regret letting Aubameyang go and not replacing him."
It must be unprecedented for a manager to be in a job for approaching 2-and-a-half years and not buy a forward. I do think a lot of this is an inheritance problem for Arteta: the previous regime went big on Lacazette, Aubameyang and Pepe, and he's had to wait them out.