Arsenal issued warning about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang situation
Alan Smith has his say on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's situation at Arsenal
Alan Smith has warned Arsenal to avoid letting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to run down his contract at Arsenal.
The 30-year-old’s future at The Emirates has been a constant source of speculation in recent months, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2021.
If Arsenal fail to tie Aubameyang down to a new deal and he remains at the club, the Gunners will face the prospect of losing the Gabon international for nothing next summer.
Aubameyang is Arsenal’s key attacking player, with the former Borussia Dortmund star having scored 17 goals in the Premier League so far this season.
Former Arsenal star Smith has now warned the north London club that they should do everything they can to avoid losing Aubameyang on a free transfer next year.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports, Smith said of Aubameyang’s situation: “His age definitely comes into it because the re-sale value won’t be too high if they sign him on a three-year deal.
“It’s always a concern and it may be that Arsenal are thinking they can get good money for him now and it will free them up and give more spending power to go out and refresh the squad, especially if he’s determined to leave.
“It’s a really tricky situation but the club won’t want to get caught in another situation where a player has run down his contract.
“You have to consider the fact that you can’t stop a player running his contract down. He can dig his heels in and say: ‘I’m leaving at the end of my current deal.’
“Sometimes there is nothing the club can do about it because the power is with the player, but there does seem a determination at the club now.
“It seems the club have a more organised structure to prevent this kind of thing happening.
“Before, Arsene Wenger maybe took on an awful lot of the workload, but it is spread out a bit now with Edu, Raul Sanllehi and the like. You’d hope the club don’t get caught out again in the future.”
Arsenal are currently in ninth place in the Premier League table and eight points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea FC with a game in hand.
As things stand, the Gunners are scheduled to return to top-flight action with a home clash against leaders Liverpool FC at The Emirates on 2 May.
Arsenal have only won nine of their 28 games in the Premier League this season.
