"Didn’t think it would come to this" - Ian Wright backs Arteta's decision to sanction Aubameyang's Arsenal departure despite feeling 'devastated' 

Arsenal legend Ian Wright is left “devastated” with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure to Barcelona but believes Mikel Arteta was right to let the player go.

In an unexpected turn of events, the former Arsenal skipper joined Barcelona as a free agent on deadline day. The Gabonese striker, who still had 18 months remaining on his £350,000-a-week contract, has reportedly taken a massive pay cut to facilitate the deal.

Having allowed Aubameyang to leave as a free agent, the Gunners will save a litt over £25million in wages over the next 18 months. The decision may make sense from a financial point of view, but it has left a bitter taste in many Arsenal fans’ mouths.

Gunners legend Ian Wright falls in the said demographic, admitting he thought the issue would be resolved.

Speaking to Metro, Wright said:

“It just feels so definite. That’s it: bam, out, gone! If I’m being totally honest, I didn’t think it would come to this. I thought it would be the kind of thing that would be resolved simply because we’re talking about a year since he signed that deal [contract extension in September 2020].”

The former England international has admitted that he is sad to see the Gabonese go but is choosing to keep in Arteta’s leadership. Asked to express his feelings on Aubameyang’s transfer, Wright added:

“I’m very sad on a personal level because I think he’s made for us. If you’ve got Auba then you gear everything into him and structure everything for him to do what he does. I remember not long ago I was watching his goals for Dortmund and it’s just all geared to him so I’m devastated that we couldn’t do that for him.”

Wright also said:

“But I feel, as much an I love him, I have to back the manager because he’s our manager now. He’s taken the chance doing what he’s doing and I’m going to back him with that.”

The 32-year-old striker, who scored 92 goals in 163 games for the Gunners, had not played since his disciplinary breach in December 2021. Now at Barcelona, he is expected to be one of the first names on Xavi’s team sheet for the remainder of the season.

Arsenal left with only two strikers following Aubameyang’s departure

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal find themselves in hot water after shipping off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona. Following his controversial exit, the Gunners will only have two first-team strikers at their disposal until the end of the season.

Coincidentally, both of their current strikers, Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, are out of contract next summer. Arsenal have tried to solve this situation by signing a striker in the winter transfer window. Unfortunately, neither Alexander Isak nor Dusan Vlahovic were interested in moving to the Emirates in January.