Arsenal strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of club captaincy after third disciplinary breach

Arsenal have sensationally stripped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the club captaincy and he will not be considered for Wednesday’s match against West Ham. 

The forward was axed from the squad that recorded a convincing 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday after reporting back for club duty late from an approved trip abroad last week.

And Mikel Arteta has now ruthlessly taken the armband off the star striker. 

Arsenal said in a statement on Tuesday: ‘Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United.

‘We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.’

Sportsmail has previously reported that the controversy has amplified pre-existing reservations from figures inside the club’s training ground about Aubameyang’s position as skipper. Aubameyang has kept the armband during the Arteta era despite the concerns that are held not only by staff, but certain team-mates.

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had the captaincy taken off him

But it was felt that any move to take the armband off the 32-year-old could cause major disruption in the team due to Aubameyang’s influence in the squad. 

The Arsenal captain was given permission to go abroad last Wednesday morning to collect his sick mum and bring her back to England. 

However, it had been agreed that the striker would return later that evening to ensure he would be ready to train on Thursday. But the striker reportedly flew home on Thursday morning instead and current Covid testing protocols also meant that Aubameyang was unable to return to training until he had produced a negative PCR test.

Arteta benched the forward for the north London derby against Tottenham in March due to lateness, while he was also reprimanded by Arsenal in February over a possible Covid-19 regulations breach.

Aubameyang and Arteta are said to share no more than a ‘working’ relationship, though the Gunners boss has been at pains to deny any rift with his striker.

The forward was given the club captaincy under Arteta’s predecessor, Unai Emery, and is on a £350,000-a-week contract that runs until 2023. It is hard to see how he has a future at the Gunners after this latest run-in, but his astronomical wages will be a stumbling block to any club wishing to sign him.

Arteta revealed in his pre-match build-up to the Southampton game on Saturday that he dropped Aubameyang over a disciplinary breach, explaining: ‘I think we have been very consistent that we have certain non-negotiables in the team that we have set ourselves as a club, and he’s not involved today.

‘It’s not an easy situation, a situation that we want our club captain to be in.’ 

He had been benched at Goodison Park last Monday for the 2-1 defeat by Everton and only saw five minutes of action after replacing Alexandre Lacazette in a late substitution.  

Aubameyang has scored seven goals in 15 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal this season but three of those came in his League Cup hat-trick against Championship side West Brom in August. 

His last goal was in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa on October 22. 

Arsenal didn’t appear to miss Aubameyang against Southampton, sweeping the south coast club aside with goals from Lacazette, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel.

The Gunners are sixth in the Premier League table, two points behind fourth-place West Ham in the standings. Victory on Wednesday could see them return to the Champions League places, which makes Aubameyang’s omission all the more significant.