Ray Parlour doesn’t believe Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can be considered a great

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal hero Ray Parlour has told Talk Sport that it’s premature to call Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a Premier League great.

The former right-winger was asked to discuss the topic by Laura Woods on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast (25/02/20; 7:30 am)

Aubameyang netted twice against Everton on Sunday to take his league tally for the season to 17 goals.

He is level with Jamie Vardy at the top of the goalscoring charts and looks vital to Arsenal’s fortunes this season.

Parlour concedes that without him Arsenal would be languishing even lower than ninth, but doesn’t feel he is considered a great just yet.

He told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast (25/02/20; 7:30 am): “You’ve got to look at longevity a little bit more. Sergio Aguero, Alan Shearer, Henry, they’ve done it year in, year out.

“You can’t argue against his record. If he hadn’t scored the goals he’s scored this season Arsenal could be in a relegation battle than trying to get in the top five.

“He’s been such an important player. The goals he scores and how clinical he makes him very similar to Henry.

“Whether we can call him a Premier League great just yet? I’m not too sure.”

Parlour is probably on point when he says that Aubameyang doesn’t quite have the longevity that Henry possessed during his playing days.

Natural

That said he is a proven goalscorer and Arsenal would dearly like to keep him beyond the current campaign.

Barcelona could return with a bid for the £50m-rated striker in the summer and the lure of Champions League football might prove strong.

Aubameyang will be 31 by the time the next season starts and he might view a move to a club like Barcelona as his last chance to taste Champions League football.

With just one year left on his deal, the Gunners could be forced into offloading their star man during the summer and that would be a massive blow for Mikel Arteta.