Dortmund manager Peter Stöger says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still in his plans for the side’s latest meetings, at least for the time being.
Arsenal want to sign Aubameyang in the January transfer window, according to reports. Dortmund gave their hopes a boost by suspending the forward and leaving him out of the last match.
Stöger says the club have dealt with the situation now after speaking to the player, which is bad news for Arsenal:
Stöger: I told Aubameyang what I want to see from him, that he gives it all in training. At the end it's up to him to qualify for the team and do what's necessary to be a part of it. Until I hear there's a personell change he's part of my plans.
— Lars Pollmann (@LarsPollmann) January 18, 2018
The Dortmund boss also confirmed the striker could play a part in Friday’s match:
Stöger: [Aubameyang] wasn't an issue for us these last few days. We had a good, short talk on Monday. If nothing changes he's an option for tomorrow.
— Lars Pollmann (@LarsPollmann) January 18, 2018
From an optimistic Arsenal fan’s point of view, the end of both quotes provide some hope. Aubameyang is only part of the squad “until I hear there’s a personnel change”.
He’s only an option for tomorrow “if nothing changes”. The fact the Dortmund manager felt the need to qualify both statements suggests he’s not 100% certain.
Meanwhile, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc clearly isn’t happy with Arsenal’s pursuit of the player. He released a statement on Thursday about Arsene Wenger’s press conference comments:
Dortmund's Michael Zorc on Wenger's comments over Aubameyang: "We find it disrespectful to speak about players of other clubs. There is no contact from #afc. We assume that is because Arsène Wenger has enough to do to take care of the performance of his own players.”
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) January 18, 2018
On the one hand, that’s not great news for the chances of the two clubs finding a deal. Ideally you want an amicable relationship with the people you’re trying to buy from.
On the other, the comments could be another hint that Dortmund are worried about losing the striker, otherwise Wenger could say all he wanted and it wouldn’t matter.
Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol says there hasn’t been any contact between the clubs, and the Germans will forgive Aubameyang if he behaves. Let’s wait and see if that changes in the coming days.