West Ham have received a timely boost for tomorrow’s game with the news that Arsenal have stripped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captaincy and made it clear he won’t be involved in the match.
The Gabon striker, who was dropped for Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton, will not be considered for Wednesday’s game against West Ham.
He has been punished after his “latest disciplinary breach” and misses his second game on the trot following the club’s 3-0 win over Southampton at the weekend.
It’s not good to revel in the problems at other clubs but let’s be honest it is a slice of good news as go into a game which sees the Gooners sitting two points behind us in the Premier League.
The BBC reported Arteta as saying: “We have made this decision that unfortunately is a really tough one.
“If I had to choose I wouldn’t like to be sitting here talking about it, but we had to do it.
“When we have to make that decision, it’s because it’s the right one to defend the interests of the football club.”
Arteta has not disclosed how Aubameyang broke the rules, but The Athletic reported that he returned late from an authorised trip abroad.
Aubameyang was dropped for disciplinary reasons in March, missing the win over rivals Tottenham for a “breach of pre-match protocol”.
It seems certain that Lacazette – who scored in the weekend win will continue up front for the Gunners who have win two and lost three of their last five games.
However, they have not been beaten at home since the second game of the season when Chelsea won 2-0.