“A complete lack of respect” – Noel Whelan slams ‘selfish’ Aubameyang for traveling to Barcelona even before official Arsenal exit

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has slammed former Arsenal captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang following his recent transfer to Barcelona. Whelan wasn't pleased that the Gabonese striker flew to Barcelona even before an agreement was reached between the two clubs.

Speaking to Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury, the pundit said of Aubameyang’s behavior:

“It’s a disgrace. He’s shown the manager and the fans a complete lack of respect. He’s done a Peter Odemwingie by travelling to Barcelona without permission or a real agreement.

“That sums up everything that’s gone wrong for him in the past few months. Both at Arsenal and away at the African Cup of Nations.

“He’s shown a real selfish side. He’s only thinking about himself. Not his legacy at the club with who you have built this relationship.

“He has just stuck the boot in one last time by flying over there.”

The Gabonese recently fell out of favor at the Emirates due to disciplinary issues. Manager Mikel Arteta stripped the forward of his captaincy, and froze him from the squad. The 32-year-old has been out of action since December as a result.

Aubameyang will hope he can recapture his best form in Barcelona. The prolific striker is now looking to score in all of top five European leagues in his career.

Questions need to be asked of Edu: Kevin Campbell slams Arsenal transfer window quietness

Former Gunners striker Kevin Campbell slammed the club's hierarchy for failing to sign an important first-team player in the winter transfer window. Speaking to Football Insider, the former star said:

“Questions need to be asked of Edu, 100 per cent. They had holes before all of the players left and went out on loan. Now there is gaping holes. Those holes needed filling.

“To not fill any, Edu has left himself wide open to criticism. It is part and parcel of the course. To not get in a striker or a centre-midfielder people are going to ask questions and rightly so. The fans are disappointed because we look short in those two positions now.”

About the author

Nnanna is a European and international football journalist who has been covering news and transfer rumors at Sportskeeda for around 5 years. A keen interest in reading and football since an early age, watching games at local stadiums with family paved the way for him to take up the sport professionally.

Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha's play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian's love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.

Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava