After a spectacular start to the season, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is proving once more how much of a vital asset he is at Arsenal and how they would be in big trouble without him.
Aubameyang, 30, won the Premier League Golden Boot jointly with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah last season. The African trio all scored 22 goals apiece during the 2018/19 campaign.
The Gabonese striker has already scored seven goals in seven games, grabbing the crucial goal to earn Arsenal a point against Manchester United on Monday night. The closest striker to him in terms of goalscoring is the injured Alexandre Lacazette with just two goals to his name. Having been out of the side with an ankle injury in September, it is a cause of concern for the Gunners due to their lack of attacking options in a period where Arsenal were scheduled to play seven games in three weeks.
While the former Dortmund frontman is a persistent goalscoring threat, there isn’t another player at the club that is capable of scoring over 20 goals a season in the Premier League. His French teammate has scored 38 goals in 93 games since joining the Gunners. While that is an impressive record, the question remains whether the former Lyon centre-forward could fill the void left by Aubameyang if he were to suffer an injury during the season.
With the way that the Premier League table is panning out during its early days, Leicester City would finish above Arsenal had they not signed Aubameyang back in 2018. Without the African-native’s contributions to the new campaign, the Gunners’ would finish outside of the top-six due to a threadbare back four and an inconsistent midfield. If Arsenal choose to dip into the transfer market in January, this may change.
Aubameyang has had a brilliant career, even before he moved to Arsenal. However, this season he looks to be playing his best football for a long time.
