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Jamie Carragher thinks one Arsenal player is going to give Mikel Arteta a ‘big worry’ soon

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Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been slated by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher for being “nowhere near good enough” at present.

The Gunners striker has struggled for much of the season, and has been particularly lacklustre in recent games for his club.

Against Olympiacos, Aubameyang wasted several chances, and in the West Ham draw, he was completely anonymous both on the right flank and on the left.

Arsenal v Liverpool - Premier League
(Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Indeed, Mikel Arteta opted to take his captain off in the latter stages of that game, bringing Gabriel Martinelli on instead.

Aubameyang then scored for Gabon in their first Africa Cup of Nations qualifier of the March international break, helping his nation to the finals of the competition.

It was hoped his performance against DR Congo could have got him back on track at club level, but against Liverpool he was anonymous once again.

Arteta took Aubameyang off with 13 minutes to go in the game, which ended as a 3-0 defeat for Arsenal.

“I think there will be a big worry at Arsenal and for Mikel Arteta that they may have another Mesut Ozil situation where they give someone a big contract at £300,000 or £350,000-a-week,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “Good luck to him, but you’ve got to justify that.

“Next season and in these coming months that will be going through the manager’s mind.

“Have we got another situation like that because what he is producing right now is nowhere near good enough considering how good a player he is and also what Arsenal have invested in him.”

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Arsenal have pretty much relied on Aubameyang in recent seasons and he led them to last season’s FA Cup triumph almost single-handedly.

However, he’s been off form for much of this season, and surely there will come a point when Arteta will wonder whether he’s better off without him in the starting XI.

But given Aubameyang recently penned a bumper new contract, Arsenal could once again find themselves in a situation where a high earner ends up on the fringes of the team.