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.

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#5 Yet another attacking player

Arsenal's attacking options are seemingly endless

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.

#4 Europa League ineligibility

Borussia Dortmund could face Arsenal in the Europa League

A problem that will only persist in this season, but it isn't a small one. Dortmund's failure to survive the UEFA Champions League "group of death", containing Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, and their subsequent drop into the UEFA Europa League means that Aubameyang cannot play for Arsenal in the competition.

According to UEFA guidelines, a player is not allowed to play in the same competition as his former team is currently in. If Dortmund had qualified from their Champions League group, Aubameyang would have been allowed to play and the worst part about it, is that Arsenal have their North London rivals to thank for this predicament.

While the Europa League has been subject to plenty of debate in recent years and isn't classified as being very important, Arsenal may find their best chance of making it to next year's Champions League in Europe's secondary tournament.

The Gabon international will be restricted to Premier League football and the EFL Cup final for the remainder of the season. While Arsenal's top-four bid isn't over by any means, they would have obviously liked the option of fielding the striker in the competition.

#3 Lack of leadership

Aubameyang was sent off in the derby with Schalke 04

Arsenal have been criticized in the past for lacking true leaders on the pitch. Aubameyang may turn 29 this year and bring a lot of experience with him, but he is by no means a leader that will solve this issue.

The enfant terrible is the captain of Gabon's national team. However, this is mainly because he is their best player by a mile and particularly, small nations with only one superstar in their ranks tend to make these players their captains.

While the striker's qualities can't be questioned, the way he acts on the pitch certainly can. The way he handled himself in the Revierderby against eternal rivals Schalke in November proved that his wealth of experience doesn't automatically translate into leadership.

After leading 4-0 at halftime, Aubameyang was one of the main culprits in Dortmund's disastrous second half.

Schalke had already pulled two goals back and when his team needed him the most, Aubameyang got himself sent off, paving the way for Schalke's power play that eventually culminated in a 4-4 draw in one of the most memorable games of all time.

While Aubameyang may be an outstanding player, who is currently in his prime and has proven that he can be unstoppable on his day, he will not infuse new leadership into the Gunners' dressing room - something that is still desperately needed in Arsene Wenger's young side.

#2 Attitude problems

Aubameyang put on a mask after his goal against Schalke last season - not for the first time

Aubameyang is, to put it kindly, completely crazy. While his performances on the field are surprisingly almost unaffected by his attitude, you would think it's only a matter of time until they are. However, even if he performs well on the pitch, he is still a handful to deal with and will most likely cause Arsenal problems just like he did at Dortmund.

The striker has been banned by his last three managers during his time at Dortmund. While his most recent suspension can be related to him wanting to force his move to Arsenal, he has been known to skip training occasionally and to take unauthorized trips during his free time.

Aubameyang's mannerisms are easily analyzed, if he's unhappy he lets everyone on the planet know about it and in times where Arsenal really need stability surrounding the club, they are bringing in somebody really doesn't contribute to that.

Like with many of the world's best players, Aubameyang's genius is closely connected to his eccentricity and the Gunners would be ill-advised to try and change him in that regard, despite the fact that they would probably fail in doing so anyway. Nevertheless, the enfant terrible will certainly bring problems with him.

#1 Defensive issues remain

Koscielny still lacks support at the back

While the Aubameyang deal brings a lot of hype with it, Arsenal's main issue still isn't being addressed and that is the fact that they simply can't stop letting in goals. Arsenal may arguably be involved in the two biggest transfers of the winter, but they are still in desperate need of defensive stability.

So many positions need to be addressed and reinforced at the North London club, yet they still continuously buy further attacking options. This transfer seemingly confirms that the Gunners can't see the wood for the trees.

It's painfully obvious that Arsenal need to improve their back line and that they also need to find a holding midfielder who is actually willing to protect for it. Granit Xhaka is a good player but he is too attack-minded when compared to his counterparts at other clubs.

The likes of N'Golo Kante, Fernandinho and Nemanja Matic are integral parts of their clubs' plans and it's simply because they probably have the most important role on the pitch. A defensive midfielder doesn't just provide stability at the back, he also creates more freedom for his fellow teammates.

Until Arsenal find a way of fixing their defence, they can bring in whoever they like, the core problem will remain the same and you can't help but think that £60 million would be a sufficient sum of money to buy a top-class defensive player, maybe even two.