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Mikel Arteta has admitted it hurts him to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the Arsenal captaincy, but said transparency was important and the striker has not fulfilled all his duties.

After another disciplinary breach, Arsenal stripped Aubameyang of the captaincy with an announcement on Tuesday. He was not part of their last matchday squad and won’t be in their next one either.

The breach is believed to be related to his travel schedules having an impact on the club’s Covid-19 protocols. It is not the first time such a matter has come to light.

Now, Aubameyang’s future is in doubt. What is clear is that he is no longer the captain of Arsenal.

Manager Arteta says it hurts to have come to the decision. But he admitted it was necessary.

He has not been able to confirm if the Gabon international will ever play for the club again, only that he is out of the squad “for now”. But he stands by the “painful” decision.

“What I can say now is to make the decision that we made is really hurting, and it is still like this and it needs a bit of time to heal. So for now, he is not involved in the squad,” said Arteta.

“Since I have been here (my relationship with him has been) really, really good. That is why it is painful.

“When we had to make that decision, it was because it was the right one to defend the interests of the football club.

“It’s a really particular situation, first of all with the importance that the player has at the club, with their role, with the relationship that I have with him.

“But unfortunately, this is the situation that we have and we have to face it.

“We have made this decision based on certain moments where he has not fulfilled his duties, and that’s it.

“That expectation and commitment that we need from every player, that’s at a different level. That’s why we were forced to make that decision.

“I think that this club and its people, and every supporter needs transparency – whether they agree or not – to be told what happened, and (to be told) the truth and why we have made that decision.”

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Arteta taking time over captaincy decision

Aubameyang is the second captain in a row to lose the Arsenal armband without leaving the club. Predecessor Granit Xhaka lost the role after gesturing towards a booing home crowd in 2019.

Arsenal are yet to confirm whom their next captain might be. They have a leadership group – including Xhaka – to share the responsibilities for now.

“It is a really unpleasant situation and it is not the moment to make any rash decision,” Arteta said.

“That leadership group is really strong. It is the one that communicates with myself and the coaching staff and with the club in a really strong and clear way and we are going to continue that.

“That is one of the decisions we make, to make that group a little bit better and try to educate them and try to get the right feedback all the time and build the trust and a strong culture around the club.

“It is working really well so we will continue to do that.”

Arteta was speaking in view of Arsenal’s game against fellow European hopefuls and London rivals West Ham on Wednesday. They have no new selection concerns ahead of the match.

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