Peter Henry
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is on the verge of agreeing a new contract that will see him extend his stay at the Emirates.
The 31-year-old striker has established himself as not only the Gunners best player, but as one of the finest strikers in the Premier League since joining Arsenal in a then club record £56 million deal from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
Despite Arsenal struggling badly in recent years – their 8th place finish this season their worst in 25 years – Aubameyang has plundered goals at an impressive rate, the Gabon international netting 54 times in just 85 top-flight appearances.
Earlier this month Aubameyang etched his name into Gunners folklore by scoring a match winning brace against Chelsea, a victory that saw the north London outfit lift a record breaking 14th FA Cup.
However, with just a year left on the deal he signed in 2018 speculation has raged in recent months that the former Dortmund striker may look to leave for a side that features regularly in the Champions League, the Gunners having failed to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition for the last four seasons.
Aubameyang though has always seemed happy with life in London and has clearly bought into the vision of impressive young coach Arteta, with reports suggesting he is about to put pen to paper on a 3-year deal that will see him earn £250k per week.
Arteta has always insisted that he was positive the club could convince their star striker to stay with Arsenal, and his comments today are sure to be greeted with delight by the Gunners faithful.
“I keep being positive, we have held some really good talks with him.” Arteta told Sky Sports
”I’m pretty confident we will find an agreement soon, that’s my feeling.
“He (Aubameyang) should be very happy he should be able to stay at the club for a very long time and I think people will be delighted with that news.”
Arsenal have already signed experienced winger Willian from Chelsea and are close to sealing a deal for highly-rated Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes, although tieing Aubameyang down to a new contract will surely go down as the best piece of business the club will do this summer.
Read – Player Analysis: What will Willian bring to Mikel Arteta’s rejuvenated Arsenal side?
Read Also – Player Analysis: What will Gabriel Magalhaes bring to Arsenal?