This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking on talkSPORT, European football expert Andy Brassell has suggested Arsenal should cash in on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang if the money is right.
What did he say?
Reports in recent weeks have suggested the Gabon international has scrapped talks with the Gunners over a potential new contract, with his current deal coming to an end in the summer of 2021.
That means the north London side have a potentially huge decision on their hands in respective to whether they sell the star forward before the start of next season, or risk another Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez situation developing in January 2021.
And now Brassell has claimed that with the striker being 30-year-old, the Gunners have entered last chance saloon in terms of potentially cashing in on him.
He said: “If I was in Arsenal’s position, I would absolutely take the money for Aubameyang because I think at the moment Arsenal have got a very ill-fitting unbalanced squad. This really is getting into the sort of time where this is their last chance to sell him.
“You’re looking at a 30-year-old player who relies pretty heavily on his pace, even though, he’s bringing back more of his all-round game for the first time since he was at Saint-Etienne. But if someone offers up to £70million, £80million surely that’s a deal you have to take.”
Talisman
Joint-winner of the Premier League’s Golden Boot last season along with Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Aubameyang represents one of the few undisputed world-class players in Arsenal’s ranks at the moment. His start to the current campaign has been similarly prolific, netting 13 times in 19 games across all competitions, whilst 11 of those have come in the top-flight alone.
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Whilst the Gunners could no doubt get a decent amount of money for him, selling him would have far more damaging ramifications. The message it would send out to the rest of Europe is one of a club are willing to let go of their best players because they can’t match their ambitions. With the club already not playing Champions League football, losing Aubameyang too would be a potentially fatal blow to their chances of getting back to the top anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans have been raving about this ace’s masterclass against West Ham.
