Arsenal legend Lee Dixon has heaped praise on Mikel Arteta for how he handled the situation with former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabon international was stripped of the club's captaincy back in December after a discipline breach. Aubameyang was subsequently left out of every matchday squad before eventually joining La Liga giants Barcelona during the January transfer window.
Since the 32-year-old joined the Catalan club, the Gunners have won six of their seven Premier League fixtures, a run of games that sees them sit fourth in the current league standings, three points clear of Tottenham Hotspur - who have played an extra match. Aubameyang has already netted nine times for Xavi's side but Arsenal hero Dixon still thinks the north Londoners made the right call to let the former Borussia Dortmund star leave.
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Speaking on the Seaman Says Podcast, he said: "Arteta has been great the way he’s dealt with the stuff off the pitch. The Aubameyang situation could have been morale breaking, but it wasn’t because he went about it in a very clever way.
"I think he would have wanted to ease him out earlier, but because the fans liked him and he had his scoring record, he did it in stages, and they did it at a point where it was a good move for everybody." French centre-forward Lacazette has replaced Aubameyang in Arsenal's starting line-up and the former Lyon frontman has prospered, notching four assists and scoring once in his last seven outings.
However, both Lacazette and fellow forward Eddie Nketiah are into the final four months of their respective deals at the Emirates Stadium.
