When talking about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure earlier this year, Mikel Arteta asserted that “a few players” were holding Arsenal back.
At Arsenal, Aubameyang worked under Arteta for slightly over a year, during which time the squad won the FA Cup.
The striker’s final few months with the Gunners, though, were marred by Arteta removing his captaincy after a string of misdemeanors.
According to Metro UK, Aubameyang’s £350,000-per-week contract with Arsenal was ultimately terminated in February, which opened the way for his transfer to Barcelona.
However, Arteta argues that Aubameyang was not the only player who he believed was impeding Arsenal’s development.
When questioned about the decision to fire Aubameyang, Arteta responded to Sky Sports: “First of all, I didn’t take that decision; the club did.
“Of course, there is my advice and what I believe we should do to achieve our goals.
But I don’t want to single out any particular guy. I believe there were multiple players.
“It was a component of our overall building approach.
“At the end of the day, there are individuals holding that boat [back] and putting weight on it when you are in that process and you want to move quicker.”
I’m sorry, but we have made that decision because we want to move even more quickly and there isn’t time for anyone to harm the club, whether they are a player or a staff member.
Additionally, Arteta asserts that his five-phase plan, which he created when he was appointed in December 2019, has already been surpassed by Arsenal.
The most significant ones, according to Arteta, are his wife and family since they are the situations in which you may express yourself honestly and openly.
“The coaching staff is very important, in my opinion; you can really tell what is going on, how they are feeling, and how they can assist you.
“The third one is having a club behind you that is aware of the circumstances and what it will take to get from where we are to where we want to be.
“The good news is that I had a really clear plan. I put together a club plan with five distinct phases that shows how we stack up against the other teams.
“The schedule and every deadline we have to meet during each step.”
Arteta grinned and said, “We are ahead,” when asked if Arsenal is ahead or behind his present plan.
