Edu clarifies on “unpopular decision” that led to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Arsenal exit
Edu has stated that Arsenal has had to make tough decisions that may not have been well-received in order to achieve success, as the team strives for their first Premier League championship since 2004.
Currently, Mikel Arteta’s squad is leading the league, sitting five points ahead of Manchester City, having only lost three times in the season and won 21 of their 27 top-flight matches.
However, there have been obstacles since Arteta’s appointment to replace Unai Emery in December 2019.
Despite winning the FA Cup in his first season, Arsenal had a disappointing second season, finishing in eighth place, their worst Premier League ranking ever.
Following a poor start to the 2021/22 season where they lost their first three games, there were doubts about Arteta’s future at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite this, the Gunners management, including Edu, remained committed to the 40-year-old and had faith in his approach.
As Arsenal’s fortunes began to improve, they faced a challenging decision to part ways with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had scored an impressive 92 goals in 163 appearances.
This move was deemed necessary to further Arteta’s transformation of the club and was made in the best interest of the team.
Speaking about Arsenal’s revolution, Edu told Sky Sports: “People would make jokes about our process, we were quite clear about all the steps. We know we were going to go through some challenging periods because sometimes we have to make some unpopular decisions, which could cause some instability.
“But, internally we were quite strong to understand the process and we are where we are. There is still a lot to do, we are in the middle of it but we are still happy and proud to see where we are at the moment.”
Despite narrowly missing out on the Champions League last season, Arsenal has persevered in building and strengthening their squad, and most crucially, placing their trust in Arteta.
As the Gunners edge closer to the Premier League title, Arteta is demonstrating his appreciation for the confidence placed in him during his time as a midfielder for Everton.
On Sunday, Arsenal secured their fifth consecutive league victory by defeating Fulham, adding to their remarkable streak. Nonetheless, their exceptional performances extend beyond their domestic games.
Arsenal has also been dominant in their Europa League group matches and is now striving to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament. They will face Sporting CP in the second leg of the last-16 on Thursday night, aiming to progress after being held to a 2-2 draw in Portugal last week.
Arteta acknowledged that his team needs to make significant improvements if they want to secure their spot in the next round.
He said: “It’s true that it’s something that we must improve massively if we want to keep winning games,” said the Spaniard. When you concede two poor goals like we did away from home in Europe it’s very difficult to get a positive result. We gave too many simple balls away. We need to defend our box much better.”
Edu clarifies on “unpopular decision” that led to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Arsenal exit