Former Arsenal striker says Aubameyang hasn't lost hunger after signing big contract
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith believes star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hasn't lost his appetite for scoring goals, but rather a tactical tinkering is necessary.
The Gabon international signed a bumper deal last summer to keep him at the Emirates Stadium until 2023.
However his form has tailed off since the beginning of this season, but Smith dismisses the notion that the striker is going through a rough patch of form.
"The fact that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hasn’t scored from open play in the league since the opening day does tend to point in a worrying direction," Smith told The Evening Standard newspaper.
“If one of the world’s best finishers can’t find the net in seven games, what does that say about the team as a whole? Well, it says for a start that the number of chances created has dropped. The Gunners don’t carve out the opportunities of old.
“In fairness, that’s bound to happen when a coach is concentrating on organisation and solidity, when he’s determined to eradicate flimsy defending in favour of a disciplined approach that gives little away.
"Some say he is wasted on the left, but I can’t agree with that when he has shone so brightly from that position in the past.
“Mind you, his success from that flank partly depends on the centre-forward’s input and Alexandre Lacazette has fallen into a slump that’s not helping. It might be time to move the captain inside.
“As for the accusation Aubameyang has lost his hunger after signing that humongous contract, I’m not having that. The 31-year-old doesn’t seem the type to coast along. He likes scoring too much to be going through the motions.
“A lack of creativity doesn’t help his cause, a shortfall that leads to Arsenal struggling against sides adopting a low block. Leeds, however, don’t go near that tactic, with Bielsa insisting on attacking verve. As a result, this might be a day for Auba’s huge grin.”
Arsenal face Leeds United on Sunday.
Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, and has scored 74 goals in 119 appearances in all competitions.