Mikel Arteta drops hint over Aubameyang’s availability for West Ham clash

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has, on Saturday evening, provided a further insight into the extent of the punishment dished out to captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Auba misses out

The name of Gabonese hitman Aubameyang has of course taken its place centre stage in the headlines over the course of the day to date.

This comes on the back of the former Borussia Dortmund man’s complete omission from Arsenal’s squad to take on Southampton.

The Gunners returned to Premier League action earlier today, eventually putting Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints to the sword in comprehensive fashion, by three goals to nil.

This team goal 🤩

It starts with Ramsdale and ends with Lacazette smashing it home. Arsenal lead 2-0 against Southampton..

📺 Stream #ARSSOU live: https://t.co/0BMWdeEYT3 pic.twitter.com/CbzDxFpC2o

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) December 11, 2021

The club’s skipper, however, was forced to watch on from home as his teammates got the job done on Saturday.

This comes owing to a ‘disciplinary breach‘, confirmed mid-match to have come in the form of a late return from a trip away from north London last week:

🚨 EXCL: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dropped from Arsenal squad for late return from trip abroad last week. 32yo had permission to go for personal reasons but was back later than agreed & it had Covid protocol implications. W/ @gunnerblog @TheAthleticUK #AFC https://t.co/im7yEtRK7X

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) December 11, 2021

West Ham return?

In turn, on the back of the action coming to a close at the Emirates, it should come as little surprise to hear that Mikel Arteta was once more drawn on Aubameyang’s situation, and its potential repercussions moving forward.

Thankfully for the Gabonese, though, it appears unlikely that he will be forced to sit out more than one fixture.

Speaking to the media post-match, Arteta was pressed directly on whether or not Auba is in line to return to the fray against capital rivals West Ham in midweek.

And the Arsenal boss, tellingly, went on to respond with a simple nod of the head:

Arteta nods when asked if Aubameyang’s absence was for one game and whether he’ll be back for West Ham. #AFC https://t.co/CPQTmSpEoq

— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) December 11, 2021

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