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Arsenal simply must avoid a repeat of Ozil situation with £63m-rated talisman – opinion

Arsenal are rebuilding under Mikel Arteta, and the Spaniard has an incredibly promising youth contingent in his squad, as shown when they secured victory over Portsmouth in the FA Cup when he started six players under the age of 21.

However, even with all of that future promise, the Gunners have been incredibly reliant on the experienced head of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to not only lead by example as captain but also provide the goals. He is the Premier League’s joint-top scorer on 17 goals, but with his contract due to expire at the end of next season, there have been rumours he could be leaving the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta has maintained that he wants to “keep him under any circumstances”, but Arsenal must not make the same mistakes as they have previously with Mesut Ozil. The German playmaker was in a similar situation to Aubameyang and used a potential exit as leverage to secure the highest-paid contract in the Gunners squad, worth £350k a week for an annual salary of £18.2m, as per Spotrac. The Gabonese striker is already the second-highest earner in the Arsenal team, but is still vastly behind Ozil, taking home £10.4m a year. Although, he should not be enticed into a lucrative extension with the club to the detriment of the team.

At 30-years-old Aubameyang, valued at £63m (Transfermarkt), does not have long left at the elite level and it appears currently that the Gunners will not be featuring in the Champions League next season, as they sit tenth in the Premier League. If the striker wishes to play in the competition, then it might be wise for Arsenal to sell their top scorer on, rather than keep a player who is unhappy playing in Europe’s lesser tournament or not featuring on the continent at all.

Furthermore, Ozil’s vast wage has used up funds which Arsenal have not been able to invest elsewhere in the squad, and for long periods under former manager Unai Emery, Ozil did not even feature. If they miss out on Champions League revenue once more then the summer budget will likely shrink, especially if it also has to cope with Aubameyang signing an improved deal. That cannot be at the detriment of the rest of the side, as it has been with the playmaker during Emery’s reign.

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