A prolific Gabonese frontman has yet to engage in new relationships at Emirates Stadium, but the future looks brighter for the club under Mikel Arteta
Arsenal cannot afford to be “held hostage” in contract negotiations with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, says Martin Keown, with the Gunners already getting their fingers burned by Mesut Ozil.
In January 2018, the North London group dug deep in an attempt to stop a key man from hitting free agency.
World Cup winner Ozil received the most lucrative deal in club history, but little return was found on that investment.
Arsenal are now in a similar situation with Aubameyang, with the club captain joining in the last 12 months of his current term.
Confidence has been passed on at Emirates Stadium when it comes to reaching a deal, but Keown has warned the Gunners not to pay the odds for a player who is now 31.
The former Arsenal defender said so PA Sport: “[Mikel] Arteta has been there for less than eight months and left with an FA Cup, he is someone who can make a difference (by decision of Aubameyang) and if he wants the club forward he will be influential.
“The previous manager, Unai Emery, was saying it wasn’t part of the negotiations for Aaron Ramsey.
“Well, this time Arteta has decided to be involved in the negotiations and this is right and appropriate.
“I don’t think they should have to ask for a ransom because they seemed to have outgrown the contract with Mesut Ozil, but on the pitch Aubameyang looks like a different person.
“Just getting him signed keeps a tremendous amount of confidence and hope for the future, but no individual is greater than the football team, as the Ozil saga has shown.”
Keown added the Aubameyang saga, which saw Arsenal fail to reach a compromise with a striker who scored 70 goals in 109 club appearances: “I think it’s really important that the club do it well.
“When you watch him play, we know he has all the qualities on the football field, but he seems like a very decent young man to me.
“He is a very good person who loves the club, the players are all around him as we saw them celebrate the FA Cup.
“It can be said that there is a buzz, something is growing and a new culture is developing and of course Aubameyang was the right choice for the captain.
“He sets the standard on the pitch and he has taken on that responsibility and will try to keep doing it – they wouldn’t want to lose him.”
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