Aubameyang was not in Arsenal’s squad to face Southampton over a breach of discipline; “We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed,” the club said; Arsenal face West Ham on Wednesday and the forward will take no part
Aubameyang was left out of the squad for Saturday’s match against Southampton, and Arsenal confirmed their decision to remove the forward as captain on Tuesday.
The club also said Aubameyang will not be available for selection against West Ham on Wednesday.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta said that the “painful” decision had been made to “defend the interests of the football club”.
The Spaniard confirmed that both he and senior club officials had held face-to-face conversations with Aubameyang to inform him of their decision.
Arteta suggested that there would be no rush to appoint a permanent replacement for Aubameyang as captain, with members of the club’s ‘”leadership group” set to share the responsibility in the coming weeks.
