Date published: Friday 31st December 2021 6:03 – Toby Bowles
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s former Saint-Etienne teammate Bakary Sako has revealed he is trying to persuade the striker to make a sensational return to the club.
Aubameyang is out in the cold at Arsenal after a disciplinary breach saw him stripped of the captaincy.
He hasn’t played since December 6 and is being linked with a move away from the club in the January transfer window.
Big Weekend: Chelsea v Liverpool, Arteta’s replacement, DCL
Sako, who rejoined Saint-Etienne recently after playing alongside Aubameyang in his first spell at the club, claims to be in contact with the Gabon international over a potential move to the French outfit.
He said at a recent press conference (as reported by Get French Football News): “I am trying to attract him… Wouldn’t you like to see Aubameyang back at Saint-Etienne? We all feel the same. I am very serious when I tell him to come, even if it is in a joking tone.
“I don’t know if it is possible, but I hope he will respond favourably. It is difficult because he has been at Arsenal for a long time, it is not easy to leave London.”
Since Aubameyang’s expulsion, Arsenal have recorded five successive victories in all competitions, leaving them fourth in the Premier League table.
Sol Campbell, the former Gunners centre-half, thinks Mikel Arteta‘s men can challenge for the title in the coming years if they continue their rapid progress.
He told talkSPORT: “I saw Jack [Wilshere] talking [about winning the Premier League] and I think he said there’s no chance this season – but in the next two or three years if they bring the right players in there’s a possibility, yeah of course there is.
“I think if they get the right players in then why not? They are going really well, Arteta’s got them firing. Obviously their results as well, 5-0 against Norwich. I think if you want to show purpose you’ve got to beat teams like that at the bottom 5-0 and sweep them aside and carry on.
“Leeds away, 4-1 as well. So they’re going really, really well. A couple of results have not gone their way, I thought at Everton and Man Utd – but they’ve recovered really well. And I think this is a great test for them, I think they can go all the way.”