"We were not seeing the same Aubameyang" - Emmanuel Petit credits Arteta for sending strong dressing room message with treatment of ex-Arsenal captain

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has claimed manager Mikel Arteta made the right call having decided to get rid of former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Aubameyang saw his contract terminated by the north London club on transfer deadline day as he eventually secured a free transfer to Barcelona.

Petit defended Arsenal boss Arteta over his decision regarding the situation with the Gabon international.

The World Cup winner with France in 1998 told Gambling.com as quoted by The Sun:

"Mikel Arteta did exactly what everyone expected with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. I don’t want to show disrespect for Aubameyang, because I believe he is a great player. But, for the last few months he hasn’t been himself. Something has changed in his mind. I don’t know if it’s related to the club, the manager or the way he is living in his private life."

He added:

"But we were not seeing the same Aubameyang that we saw a couple of years ago. I believe Arteta made the right decision on Aubameyang and he made his mark in the dressing room with the choice he made. To leave your captain out of a game and then put him on the transfer market is a very strong message to your dressing room."

Aubameyang was stripped off the Gunners' captaincy on December 15th over a disciplinary breach.

It is understood that the relationship between the former Borussia Dortmund striker and his manager had soured over the previous few months.

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Can Arsenal cope with the departure of Aubameyang?

Having made his move from Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal in January 2018, Aubameyang made an unbelievable impact at the Emirates. Despite playing for an underperforming side, the 32-year-old had no issues scoring plenty of goals for the Gunners.

The Gabonese forward scored a total of 92 goals and created a further 21 in 163 games for the north London club.

He was instrumental for the Gunners in FA Cup glory in 2020 and also lifted the FA Community Shield once. Arsenal also finished runner-up in the EFL Cup and Europa League with Aubameyang playing a vital role in both Cup runs.

The striker made his Barcelona debut from the bench on Sunday in Blaugrana's 4-2 win against Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

Barcelona currently occupy fourth place in La Liga and manager Xavi Hernandez will be determined to maintain the position at the end of the season.