Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was 'finished' at Arsenal

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer reckons that Arsenal had no choice but to part ways with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Following weeks of speculation surrounding his future, Aubameyang secured a move to Barcelona having seen his contract mutually terminated at the Emirates earlier this week.

Aubameyang’s issues at Arsenal started when he arrived late for the North London derby back in March and was subsequently dropped from the team by Mikel Arteta despite being captain of the club.

Arteta and Aubameyang sorted their differences on this occasion, with the striker returning to the side the following week, but the 32-year-old was axed from the squad in December after another disciplinary breach ahead of the clash with Southampton.

This time, Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy, and not that he knew it at the time, but he had played his final game for the Gunners. He was left out of every matchday squad before he went to the African Cup of Nations in early January.

Weeks after making his swift return from Africa due to health issues, Aubameyang saw his contract terminated at Arsenal, with the club announcing the decision on 1 February.

It became clear that Aubameyang was going to sign for Barcelona, although the deal wasn’t confirmed until two days after the window had closed, with the Spanish giants able to sign him after January due to him being a free agent.

Since joining for £56m from Borussia Dortmund four years ago, he has been an outstanding servant, scoring 92 goals in 163 games.

Despite his impressive goalscoring record, Palmer reckons that the right decision was made.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Aubameyang was finished at Arsenal, that is clear for everybody to see. This was a marriage that was over.