Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang no longer deserves the Arsenal captaincy and the club should find a real leader.
That is the opinion of former Gunners winger Jermaine Pennant.
Aubameyang scored 31 goals in his first full season at Arsenal and hit 29 in his second.
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It prompted the club to tie him to a new three-year deal in September of last year, taking the striker past his 34th birthday.
However, the 31-year-old has struggled for form this season and only has nine Premier League goals to his name.
His lateness prompted Mikel Arteta to drop him for the north London derby win over Tottenham and poor displays since against Olympiakos and West Ham means he is no longer a guaranteed starter.
With his place in the XI under threat and his discipline lacking, Pennant believes the attributes which saw him handed the captain’s armband no longer apply.
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“He got the band, the captaincy on his performance in previous seasons due to scoring a lot of goals, being a fan favourite and the struggles Arsenal were going through,” said Pennant in conversation with Jamie O’Hara on TalkSPORT.
“I feel that’s why he got given the captaincy band, not because he’s a leader off the pitch.
“I don’t think he’s a leader on the pitch.”
Pennant did not have to look far, however, for an example of a player who demonstrated all the qualities a captain should possess.
The 38-year-old spent three years at Anfield playing alongside England midfielder Steven Gerrard. And he said the Liverpool legend’s conduct and the way he carried himself provided a stark contrast to Aubameyang.
“Now he’s not scoring, he’s turning up late, he’s getting dropped. As a captain you shouldn’t be doing that.
“I’m gonna throw this in there because he led by example. Steven Gerard. You would never see Steven being late, you’d never see him getting dropped for any misdemeanours off the field or on the field.”