It’s no surprise that the Gunners were willing to let the Gabon striker join Barcelona but the lack of a replacement is alarming
It was a deadline day that summed up Arsenal’s transfer window.
At times, it seemed like things were running quite smoothly but, in the end, it all felt a bit chaotic.
Arsenal went into January with what felt like a sense of purpose – with the club hoping to add two new additions, a central midfielder and a striker.
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However, they were left empty-handed after failing to bring in anyone to strengthen their push for a top four spot during the second half of the Premier League season.
They will now go into the final 17 games of their campaign with a squad that is undeniably weaker than the one with which they started the year.
In all, six senior players left the club during the window – with former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining Barcelona just a few minutes before the Monday night’s 11pm deadline.
The Gabon international, who was still Arsenal’s captain just seven weeks ago, was released from his contract 18 months early, bringing to an end his Arsenal career exactly four years to the day since he arrived from Borussia Dortmund.
Aubameyang becomes the latest in an ever-increasing list of players to be just given away by the Gunners. Some of their own supporters are now labelling the club as ‘Free Transfer FC’.
The striker’s departure will save the North London club around £20 million ($27m) in wages the long run, however, and given his relationship with Arteta had totally broken down and there was little chance of him bring brought back into the fold, it’s difficult to argue that a move away wasn’t the best solution for all concerned.
