Thomas Tuchel does not believe Arsenal’s decision to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captaincy is indicative of the player’s character and intends to reach out to him.
The Gabon international was removed from his role as Arsenal skipper on Tuesday after his recent disciplinary breach, having returned to the UK late after being given permission to fly to France.
Aubameyang, who has previously showed up late to matches, missed training after a mix-up over Covid protocols, with the Gunners saying he did not meet the ‘rules and standards’ expected of players.
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Tuchel knows Aubameyang well having coached him at Dortmund and was always accommodating of his unreliable time-keeping, and the German offered his support to the striker after his Arsenal indiscretion.
Asked if he will speak to Aubameyang, Tuchel told reporters: ‘I will, I will at some point. But, you know, I don’t want to also disturb [him].
‘I think he was a very important player for me and we had a very close relationship until today. When we meet it’s still always very, very nice. ‘I can only say the best things about Auba as a player and as a person.
‘I feel sorry for him that he’s in trouble. This is not where he should be with his kind of quality and the positive character that he has – and I still believe in that.
‘But I’m not involved, and I’m not involved in what’s going on at his club now, and for this I also want to show my respect [to Arsenal] and not be involved and not judge what is right and wrong.
‘I just have my picture and my relationship with Auba and this is not affected by that.’
As well as losing the captaincy, Aubameyang has also been left out of the team that will take on West Ham on Wednesday while manager Mikel Arteta provided no assurances or timeframe over when he might be brought back into the fold.
