Having added Henrikh Mkhitaryan to the ranks last week, Arsenal continued to restructure their attack by swooping for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.
A rumoured long-term target of Arsene Wenger, the Gabon international arrives at the Emirates Stadium for a reported club-record fee of £56m, surpassing the £52m outlay splashed on Alexandre Lacazette last summer.
After weeks of January speculation, Aubameyang had this to
say after reuniting with former Dortmund team-mate Mkhitaryan:
“Of course I can join Micki in this team, so I’m really happy to be here in this great team.
I think the club has such a big history and great players like Thierry Henry. He’s an example for us strikers.
I’m a fast player and I score goals too, like Henry a little bit. I think I have to work a lot to be like him, but I will do”.
The History
Born in France, Aubameyang had a somewhat nomadic youth career, which included stints at four French clubs including Nice and Bastia, before he joined AC Milan as an 18-year-old back in 2007.
However, he failed to play a single senior match for the Serie A side and was instead farmed out on loan over the next few years. Known for his speed, the 29-year-old was mainly utilised as a winger in the formative stages of his career.
This goes some way to explaining somewhat patchy records at Dijon (eight goals and two assists in 34 Ligue 2 appearances), Lille (two goals in 14 Ligue 1 outings), Monaco (two goals, three assists in 19 Ligue 1 appearances) and Saint Etienne (two goals in 14 Ligue 1 outings) in the subsequent three seasons.
Midway through the 2011/12 campaign, however, Aubameyang was signed by Saint Etienne on a permanent deal. Finally settled, he hinted at what was to come, delivering 16 goals and seven assists in 36 league matches. A further 19 goals and nine assists across 37 Ligue 1 fixtures the following season caught the eye of Dortmund, who forked out for his services in July 2013.
Aubameyang’s time with the German club can be split into two parts – under and after Jurgen Klopp.
In his first two seasons at Dortmund, the Gabon international was still viewed as more of a wide man, only used up front on occasion by the-now Liverpool manager. Nonetheless, it still says a lot about his threat that he still served up 29 goals and 10 assists in 65 Bundesliga appearances over that period.
The arrival of Thomas Tuchel for the start of the 2015/16 took Aubameyang onto another level, transforming him into one of the most formidable strikers in world football.
Installing Aubameyang up front, the new manager also worked with him on his movement in the final third and in and around the box.
Since then, the statistics speak for themselves – over the last two full seasons, Aubameyang played 63 league matches for Dortmund, scoring 56 times and delivering seven assists.
This term, he’s bagged 13 goals and three assists in 16 Bundesliga outings prior to making the switch to north London.
He’s also proved himself in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 11 goals in 15 matches over the past two seasons.
On the international stage, Aubameyang made his debut for Gabon in 2009 and has gone on to score 23 times in 56 appearances.
The Prospects
As a forward who thrives on playing on the shoulder of the last defender, Aubameyang’s speed and movement off the ball looks tailor-made for playmakers such as Mesut Ozil and Mkhitaryan.
With Lacazette already on board, the Gabon international’s arrival raises question marks over Wenger’s preferred tactical approach for the remainder of the season.
The Gunners’ boss has operated exclusively with a lone striker system this term, whether it be a 3-4-2-1 formation, 4-2-3-1 or his recent penchant for mirroring Man City’s 4-1-2-3 set-up.
Although he has the pace and trickery to pose problems out wide, Aubameyang’s record as a penalty box predator – all 69 of his league goals in the past two-and-a-half season have been scored from inside the opposition box – suggests he’s surely earmarked for a central role under Wenger.
The 4-1-2-3 formation may be the answer. Taking a leaf out of Man City’s book, Wenger could field one of Ozil or Mkhitaryan centrally in a support role (potentially paired with Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere), with the other flanking Aubameyang along with Lacazette.
Certainly, his arrival doesn’t look too promising for Lacazette’s chances of retaining a role through the middle, unless the Gunners’ boss decides to move to 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 in order to accommodate all his big-hitters.
Looking at the underlying numbers, Aubameyang betters Lacazette for both minutes per shot (24.4 to 32.7) and goal conversion (22.4% to 16.4%) this season.
Although he’s far from being a target man, the six foot one Gabon international is still superior to Lacazette in the air, winning 44% of his league duels in 2017/18 compared with his fellow forward’s 31.1%.
He’s also far more mobile than the Frenchman and his pace will add an ability to counter at speed to Arsenal’s armoury.
When it comes to creativity, though, Aubameyang’s average of 88.6 minutes per key pass only serves to illustrate that he hasn’t been brought to tee up team-mates and is very single-minded when on the ball.
In a season where many premium-priced forwards have failed to convince, the arrival of a top class finisher – supplied by Ozil and Mkhitaryan – should prove a welcome relief for those desperate to smash the growing template squads in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
Aubameyang won’t be cheap across the Fantasy games, with a cost of between 10.5 and 11.0 expected in FPL, yet his points potential is likely to be boosted by spot-kicks – he’s scored 20 of 26 penalties over the course of his career.
Looking at the team statistics, Arsenal sit third for big chances (66) but have scored just 25 of them, highlighting their need for a superior finisher.
In terms of the upcoming schedule, clashes against Spurs and Man City in the next three Gameweeks suggests that many will steer clear in the short-term before the fixtures turn in the Gunners’ favour from Gameweek 29.
By that point, Wenger’s side will be expected to have shaken off the post-Alexis Sanchez malaise that saw them fall to defeat at Swansea last night, thus bringing them back into contention for a very profitable looking run-in.
It remains to be seen if Aubameyang can flourish early on to threaten Harry Kane’s stranglehold in FPL squads. But for those who have committed big funds in attack to partner Kane with Sergio Aguero, he could offer an extremely viable exit plan should the City striker suffer rotation over the season run-in.
