Arsenal in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang boost as Borussia Dortmund 'can't tolerate' striker anymore
The Gunners are looking for a replacement for Alexis Sanchez
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang could be on his way to Arsenal after Borussia Dortmund reached crisis point with the striker on Sunday as they revealed they “can’t tolerate” him anymore.
The Gunners are looking to replace Alexis Sanchez not only with Bordeaux’s Malcom, but also – according to reports – Aubameyang, who looks like he could be nearing the end of his time at the Westfalenstadion after his latest discrepancy.
The 28-year-old, who is looking to leave the club, was left out of Dortmund’s Bundesliga return against Wolfsburg this weekend following a “contentious discussion” with the club’s hierarchy.
Dortmund chief Peter Stoger revealed the Gabon international was left out on Sunday for “disciplinary reasons” after skipping a team meeting on Saturday – the third time he has been sanctioned by the club in the last 12 months.
“It was a relatively important session that he stayed away from, which showed me that he is not so focused,” announced Stoger. “He was surprised, did not quite notice it for himself. But for us it was a clear case. The session was clearly announced in WhatsApp groups that are today on tablets. If he is not there, someone else is playing, who is totally focused.”
After his removal from the squad, Aubameyang, attended the club’s training complex on the day of the game for talks with senior officials and the club’s general manager Michael Zorc revealed his deep disapproval of the striker.
“At some point you can’t tolerate it any more,” said Zorc. “I don’t know what’s going on inside his head. We had a very contentious discussion today. We’re not used to this behaviour from him.
“What is going on now is not to be tolerated by the club. It is clear: It cannot go on like this. I don’t know what is going through his mind. I don’t recognise him anymore. There is trouble in the team and that is not good.”
The decision to leave Aubameyang out on Sunday was back by his own teammates, with goalkeeper Roman Burki critical of the Arsenal transfer target.
“I support it. It was a logical decision,” he told Sky Sport. “There are rules which apply to every player, regardless of how many goals he scores or prevents. It would be a shame if he missed out again due to his stupid actions.”
The Gunners are looking for a replacement for Sanchez after Arsene Wenger revealed on Sunday that the Chilean would leave the club in the next “48 hours”, with Old Trafford and Manchester United the likely destination after Manchester City pulled the plug.
Theo Walcott is also expected to leave meaning Arsenal are short of firepower up front so the £45m deal for Malcom won’t be enough to cover the personnel losses this month, hence why Aubameyang has become a target.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments