Mikel Arteta believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future at Arsenal could be influenced by the outcome of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea as the Gunners try to convince the Gabon international to extend his contract.
Aubameyang, 31, has
just one year left on his deal at the Emirates and given Arsenal’s financial
predicament, it would make sense to sell in the close season if he cannot be
convinced to prolong his contract.
Despite his strike
rate as one of Europe’s deadliest forwards over the past six years, Aubameyang
has just two major trophies to his name with cup wins at St Etienne and
Borussia Dortmund.
Arteta captained
Arsenal to two FA Cup wins during his playing career and believes experiencing
that success could convince Aubameyang to trust the club are going in the right
direction.
“No, I don’t have
that feeling,” said Arteta on Friday when asked if Saturday’s clash could be
Aubameyang’s final game for the club.
“It’s a package at
the end. You need to have a lot of ingredients on the table to persuade a
player of his level to be at this football club.
“Don’t forget that
he still has
a contract here with us. We want to do it in a long-term, at the moment he’s
with us and he should be really proud of where he is.
“Winning a trophy
helps to really believe and feel ‘wow’, I want more of these moments. If you
are wearing the armband and able to lift that cup, it is such a moment. This is
going to help for sure.”
Winning a trophy in
his first season in management would also be a huge bonus for Arteta to prove
he can restore Arsenal’s former glories.
“It generates trust
when you win titles,” he added. “It generates moments when together you go
through some good emotions.
“It brings
everybody together, you have memories, there is a lot of things about winning a
trophy that is so positive for any group and when you are in a process of
(development) that makes it even more important, so we have a great opportunity
tomorrow, let’s go for it.”
Beating their
London rivals behind closed doors at Wembley would also ensure Arsenal do not
miss out on European football next season for the first time since 1995/96 by
qualifying for the Europa League.
“It’s a final, the
only focus is on winning that trophy tomorrow,” said Arteta.
“Financially it
would be really helpful and on the sporting side, to play European football for
this club is a must.”