Aubameyang ‘Close’ To Signing New Arsenal Contract, Says Arteta

Mikel Arteta claimed Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang is close to signing a new contract after the Gunners
beat Liverpool 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the
Community Shield on Saturday.

Aubameyang put Arteta’s side ahead in the first half at Wembley
with a typically eye-catching strike.

Japan’s Takumi Minamino equalised with his first goal for
Liverpool late in the second half of the annual pre-season friendly
between the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners.

In the shoot-out, Liverpool’s young striker Rhian Brewster was
the only player to miss, hitting the bar with their third penalty
before Aubameyang calmly dispatched the decisive spot-kick.

As if Arteta needed any reminding, it was another sign of the
influence wielded by his captain Aubameyang, who is yet to commit
his long-term future to the club as he enters the final year of his
contract.

Gabon forward Aubameyang has kept Arsenal waiting nervously
during protracted talks and he demurred when asked in a post-match
interview if he was ready to sign the club’s contract offer.

“We are going to see, today we will just take the trophy and
that is it,” he said.

Arteta has remained confident the 31-year-old will stay and he
insisted his talisman’s status will be resolved to his satisfaction
before the Premier League season starts on September 12.

“We are close,” Arteta said of the contract. “He was magnificent
in the FA Cup final and again today.

“I try to do my job, which is convince him that he is in the
right place, that he has the environment here to produce the
moments like he’s done today and he’s done here three weeks
ago.

“I am very positive that he’s going to sign but a lot of time
there’s a lot of things involved in a contract deal and we are
trying to show him.”

For Liverpool, it was the second successive season they have
lost the Community Shield on penalties after being beaten by
Manchester City last term.

That is unlikely to concern coach Jurgen Klopp too much given
the champions’ lack of rest and preparation since winning the title
for the first time in 30 years.

“For these types of games, you need the final punch. We created
enough, had the ball quite a lot, but had to be careful of their
counter-attack,” Klopp said.

“A penalty shoot-out is always a little bit of a lottery and we
were unlucky there, so congratulations to Arsenal.”

The Community Shield traditionally serves as the curtain-raiser
to the new English season.

But Liverpool and Arsenal were back in action just 34 days after
the end of the coronavirus-delayed Premier League campaign and only
six days after the Champions League final concluded the entire
2019-20 season.

– Tactically astute –

After only one week of pre-season training, it was a more
encouraging result for Arteta, whose team emulated their FA Cup
final win over Chelsea with another determined, tactically astute
display.

Liverpool were without the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and
the naivety of his teenage replacement Neco Williams was exposed by
Aubameyang in the 12th minute.

Cutting in from the left to reach Bukayo Saka’s pass, Aubameyang
was given too much time and space by Williams.

Aubameyang made him pay with a superb curler into the far corner
from the edge of the penalty area, celebrating the goal by crossing
his arms in tribute to “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who
died Friday aged 43.

It was Aubameyang’s fifth goal for Arsenal at Wembley, making
him the club’s joint-highest scorer at the national stadium with
Alexis Sanchez.

He scored a brace in each of his previous two Wembley
appearances against Manchester City and Chelsea.

Liverpool equalised in the 73rd minute when Minamino slotted
home from close range for his first Reds goal in his 15th
appearance since his January move from Salzburg.

AFP

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