Mike Arteta Confirms Arsenal Are ‘Close’ To Signing New Aubameyang Contract

Mikel Arteta once again revealed a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is “close”.

Arsenal had one more reason to celebrate last night as the Gabon international captained them to a Community Shield victory over Liverpool on penalties.

It was Aubameyang’s party piece from 25 yards out that opened the scoring for Arsenal before Takumi Minamino equalized in the second half. A Rhian Brewster miss and five perfect penalties from the Gunners ensured a positive start to the season for Arsenal. Of course, the headlines quickly shifted to Aubameyang’s future, who once again proved to be the difference-maker for this team.

When quizzed about his future after the game, Arteta told BT Sport, “We are close.”

He was delighted to get the win and added, “Big games, big moments, big players. He has responded really well to that kind of pressure. He was magnificent in the FA Cup final and the same today.”

On the progress at Arsenal, the manager said, “I’m so happy. I knew the challenge we were facing today. Thank you to the players for the effort and the performance. The courage of the team [was the most pleasing thing], how aggressive we were without the ball and to break the pressure of Liverpool. I knew in the second half we would suffer. This generates belief, to be able to compete against a team like this in a final makes me happy.”