“I said no to him”, Mikel Arteta insists he wants Aubameyang to stay at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta says he has had a conversation with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and he hopes the striker extends his stay at the club.

Aubameyang has been reportedly considering a move away from Emirates with FC Barcelona and Internazionale interested in securing the services of the Gabon international.

The 30-year old, who is at the peak of his career right now, has turned up and put on quality performances for Arsenal right through this season.

But, Arsenal, as a team, has not been able to back it up and they currently seem to be struggling to raise any hopes of finishing in top four in the Premiership.

Although there has been a significant improvement in Arsenal's performances since Mikel Arteta has taken charge, the fans are still worried if Aubameyang would be willing to stay in case the club doesn’t make it to Champions League.

Arteta insists he has tried to understand what Aubameyang is going through and what he is thinking and he has also conveyed to the striker that he would get full support from him as a manager.

“I had a conversation with him and I wanted to understand his feelings, the reason why he was feeling he wasn't in the right place for his career.” Arteta was quoted as saying by RMC.

The Arsenal boss has clarified that he has let Aubameyang know he doesn’t want him to leave and he has also let the Arsenal hierarchy know that he doesn’t want the player to leave. But, he can’t control everything.

“I said to the club no. I said to him (Aubameyang) no. After, in life, I cannot control what happens.” Arteta added.

Arsenal needs to stitch quite a few wins together and establish a bit of a momentum if they have to get themselves back in the race of top 4.

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