Mikel Arteta tight lipped about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after Arsenal 2-0 win over West Ham

Despite the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fiasco, Arsenal have reigned supreme over West Ham United to go fourth in the Premier League points table. Youngsters Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith-Rowe scored for the Gunners in a 2-0 win over the Hammers. The match also saw West Ham United fullback Vladimir Coufal getting sent off in the 66th minute.

However, even after the win Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was tightly lipped about Aubameyang’s availability in the next match against Leeds United in the Premier League. The Gabonese was recently stripped off captaincy after he returned late from France.

This was the second match which the 32-year-old forward missed on the bounce and there is absolutely no clarity on whether he will be available for the next one.

Following the win over the Hammers, Arteta did not give much away when he was asked about Aubameyang. He said, “He wasn’t eligible for this game and that’s it. This game is gone. We will discuss it in the near future.”

The Spanish tactician highlighted how the team was focused and showed a lot of character in their win despite all the things that have happened in the past week. “They were fully focused. They wanted to show how strong we are as a team. The performance, the attitude and the commitment they showed today is exactly what we are as a club.

“I expect it from every player – to stick to our values. We will talk about [Aubameyang] another day. Today I want to talk about the game.”

It was a great return for English midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe who was out for five games due to injury. The youngster returned and added a goal to his name in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over David Moyes’ West Ham in front of the home fans at the Emirates. Smith-Rowe is definitely one of the future stars of England and his performances this season speak volumes about the 21-year-old dynamic midfielder. With this strike, he has now registered six goals for the gunners this season in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s men will now face Leeds United in the Premier League followed by a clash against Sunderland in the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup.