‘Watch this space’: Paul Merson questions Arsenal star’s future at the Emirates

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Arsenal legend Paul Merson thinks Gunners captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has become a player in the “watch this space” category.

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

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.

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

“It was weird against West Ham because Arteta brings him off, but they’re losing the game and need a goal so they bring off their top scorer and their talisman,” Merson wrote on Sky Sports.

“He’ll be one of those ‘watch this space’ over the next three or four months.

“It’s hard at the moment because you haven’t got a choice really, they gave him a big contract so Aubameyang holds all the cards, he’s not getting those wages anywhere else in the world.

“For me, it’ll be up to Aubameyang what he wants to do, not what Arsenal want to do.”

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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.