Mikel Areta insists he would leave Arsenal if players didn't respect him

Mikel Arteta insists he is not ‘dictatorial or ruthless’ but will WALK AWAY if Arsenal stars do not respect him… as standoff with striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues

  • Mikel Arteta insists he does not rule Arsenal like a dictator but would walk away 
  • Arteta made the bold decision to axe Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as captain 
  • Aubameyang was dropped for indiscipline two weeks ago and is remains out


Mikel Arteta insists he does not rule Arsenal like a dictator but would walk away from the job rather than ever compromise his principles.

Arteta axed captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a breach of discipline two weeks ago and has yet to recall him, throwing the striker’s future at the club into doubt with the transfer window about to open.

There are echoes of last January when Arsenal forced the exit of Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who had all fallen foul of the 39-year-old manager.

Mikel Arteta has outlined exactly where he stands when it comes to being respected by players

Mikel Arteta has outlined exactly where he stands when it comes to being respected by players

‘I don’t establish my authority by being dictatorial or ruthless,’ said Arteta. ‘I just ask for respect and commitment. At this level, if I don’t get that I pack my bags and go somewhere else because that is the minimum I can ask for.

‘I am sorry but I am going to expect that from everybody who works for the club, first of all myself. The day I don’t do that, I walk through that door and go and do something else. It is as clear as that.

‘To be successful you have to be passionate about something and if you want to represent a club of this size, with its history, that is the minimum standard you have to bring. 

‘I am not going to ask anybody to put the ball into the top corner every time they hit it, but I will ask them to do the right things every single day for this club. That is for sure.’

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (right) was stripped of the captaincy after a discipline breach

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (right) was stripped of the captaincy after a discipline breach

Barcelona have shown an interest in a January move for Aubameyang although that appears less likely after the Catalan club struck a £55million deal for Manchester City’s Ferran Torres.

The 32-year-old striker, under contract at Arsenal until the end of next season, is due to report on Monday for international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, where he will captain Gabon. The tournament will also take Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe and Mohamed Elneny from Arteta’s squad at a time when the Omicron variant is rife across the Premier League.

‘They wanted the players yesterday and we want to keep them until next month,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘That’s the conversation we’re having right now.

‘If you gave me the choice, I want them to stay because I need them. With the context we’re in, I want them even more but we are obliged to let them go. So we’ll have to adapt.’

source: dailymail.co.uk