Arsenal told Aubameyang is ‘grade ahead’ of striker Arteta admires

Arsenal have been told that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a “grade ahead” of Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins.

It was reported on Friday that Mikel Arteta is a fan of the Aston Villa striker.

Arsenal are in the market for a new attacker. Aubameyang left the club last month as he joined Barcelona.

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Meanwhile, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are out of contract this summer and they are yet to commit their future to Arsenal.

Aubameyang has hit the ground running at Barcelona. He scored a hat-trick against Valencia in La Liga two weeks ago.

Then he followed that up with another goal as his side beat Athletic Bilbao 4-0.

Watkins has been with Aston Villa since 2020. He enjoyed an impressive debut season last term as he contributed with 14 Premier League goals.

His form has dipped in 2021/22 though as he has only netted five times in the league.

Former Leeds United and Coventry City striker Noel Whelan is unsure whether Watkins would have the “same impact” on Arsenal as Aubameyang did:

“Aubameyang is a massive name, and he’s firing them in for Barcelona right now,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“Is Watkins the type of player who can come in and have that same impact? I’m not so sure, I think Aubameyang is just that grade ahead when in form.

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“But he’s young, and he’s got talent. There’s nothing to say that he can’t step into those shoes in the future.

“If he’s willing to