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The Arsenal captain opens up to Sky Sports about his time at the Emirates, his first impressions of Mikel Arteta and the Gunners’ ambitions for the new season. Watch Liverpool vs Arsenal on Sky Sports Premier League from 7.45 pm on Monday Night Football; Start 8pm
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Last Updated: 09/27/20 5:50 pm
Titles, Champions League football and ‘legend’ status. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is setting his goals high at Arsenal after signing a new three-year contract with the club.
Fresh from his contract renewal and ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool on Monday Night Football, Aubameyang told Sky Sports:
- Arsenal should aspire to be among the title contenders this season.
- May they travel to Anfield, the home of champion Liverpool, “without fear” on Monday night.
- He still believes that he can achieve legendary status at Arsenal, even if that requires winning a title during his time at the club.
- How Mikel Arteta’s transformation at Arsenal began with the new Gunners boss ordering his team and staff to clean up a messy room.
Talisman Auba praises Arteta’s cleanup operation
1:32 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admits that he considered leaving Arsenal, but decided to compromise his future with the club after a conversation with manager Mikel Arteta.
Aubameyang, of course, has been at the heart of Arsenal’s resurgence under Arteta’s leadership.
Of the five goals Arsenal scored in their recent losses at Wembley to Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool to win the FA Cup and Community Shield, Aubameyang scored them all.
But the 31-year-old has credited Arteta as the inspiration for the turnaround, and the instant, if unconventional, impact it had on the faltering Gunners team.
“When he came in, the first day, we were in a room where I remember there were some chairs on the floor, everywhere in the room. So he brought the players, the staff and all the people who work here and said ‘this is the club right now, so they’re going to work together and clean this room first and then we’re going to talk.
“After this you think ‘Okay, I think he’s right, and we’re going to continue down this path’ and that’s how he did it and we have a lot of respect for him because he was also a player. A coach who knows what he’s doing, there is only to follow “.
The forward also stressed that, had it not been for the arrival and impact of Arteta, it was likely that this summer he would have left the club.
“Two things persuaded me to stay,” he said. “The first thing was Mikel Arteta, because since he entered, he has brought us a lot of positivity and a new philosophy.
“I think it was important because it coincided with my game and I feel that I can improve with it. I think that was the key factor and, also, the love I receive from the fans and from the whole club.”
Arsenal’s ambitions for the new season revealed
Arsenal’s unexpected win in the FA Cup has whetted Aubameyang’s appetite for more success this season. But what exactly would constitute a successful season for an Arsenal team that had its lowest top flight finish in 25 years in 2019/20?
“When you win trophies, you want to win more trophies and that’s what it’s about. We want to compete, first of all for the league, I think this is the most important point. We want to be back in the Champions League, we have to be humble for sure. No we can pretend to choose to play for first place but we want to be part of the teams to compete for first place and as I say, stay humble and work hard and in the end try our best to win more trophies. “
Arsenal have not qualified for the Champions League since 2017 and naturally a top four result is the most important thing in the club’s immediate ambitions.
“I think everyone has one goal: to move on and return the club to where it belongs. We have been playing in the Champions League for some years now, for example, and it hurts for me and the whole club.” not just a little bit, but a lot. “
Can Aubameyang become a legend at Arsenal?
4:34 Take a look at some of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s best goals from the 2019/20 Premier League season
Aubameyang’s decision to remain at Arsenal despite an offer from Barcelona stands in stark contrast to the narratives of the recent summer at the Emirates and the departures of players like Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.
So what does Aubameyang think it would take to achieve legendary status and stand alongside recent greats like Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp?
The scale of his ambition is clear.
“Hopefully I win a league. I think this is very easy to answer but sure, yes, I need to win the league but I still have work to do and I feel far from those legends, but at the same time I know I can reach it.”
Arsenal travel to Liverpool ‘without fear’
Arsenal have started the new campaign in an encouraging way. Following their Community Shield win over Liverpool, albeit assured on penalties, a first day win at Fulham, complete with an Aubameyang stage in the top corner, was followed by a somewhat serendipitous defeat for West Ham. Now, the most difficult mission in the Premier League: a trip to the home of the champions.
But when it comes to Aubameyang, the challenge ahead will reveal exactly how far Arsenal have come under Arteta.
“It is still early in the season, but it is a great game and we are going to see how we compete against this great team.
“It is a great test, but we are going to see if we are ready to compete for the Premier League.
“I think, of course, we started the game with confidence, but we also know, we are going there and it will not be easy, but I think now we can go without fear and go win the game.”
Watch Liverpool vs Arsenal on Sky Sports Premier League from 7.45 pm on Monday Night Football; Start 8pm
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