Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang worked under Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund as the Arsenal striker – who was stripped of the captaincy this week – helped the Chelsea boss win his first major honour as a coach
Thomas Tuchel says he will contact Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy.
The Gunners striker will no longer wear the skipper’s armband after arriving back late from a trip abroad as disciplinary issues continue to plague him.
Aubameyang’s future is up in the air after the demotion as he remains out of Mikel Arteta‘s squad for their Premier League clash against West Ham on Wednesday night.
Aubameyang worked under Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund as the forward helped the Chelsea boss win his first major honour as a coach in 2017 – the DFB Pokal.
And the German says he feels “sorry” that he has got himself into a troubling situation at Arsenal and plans to reach out to his former player at some point.
Asked whether he will contact Aubameyang about losing the captaincy, he said: “I will at some point. I feel sorry that he is in trouble.
“I believe in his positive character but I am not involved in this situation or his club. It is just about my picture & relationship”.
Aubameyang could have played his last game for Arsenal as the January window approaches.
But Mikel Arteta insists it’s too soon to say what the future holds for the talisman.
He said: “Has he played his last game for Arsenal? All I can say is that for now, he’s out of the squad, he’s not involved and sadly, this is the decision that we’ve taken.
“What I can say for now is that, you can understand it is a lot to digest and a really difficult decision to make, so we need a bit of time. It is a really unpleasant situation
“The decision that we made is really hurting, and it is still like this and it needs a bit of time to heal. So for now, he is not involved in the squad.”
Arteta explained why he was left with no choice but to strip Aubameyang of the captaincy.
He added: “What I expect from any person in this football club, that is representing this badge, with passion and that he gives absolutely 100 per cent, that he puts the club in front of any personal interests and is able to do anything to fulfil the badge we have on the chest.
“Apart from that, you can listen to individuals and you can understand different cultures, but that commitment and passion has to be there. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
“The decision that we have taken as a club is very clear. It is because we believe that he has failed to be committed at the level that we all expect and agreed. It is as simple as that.”
