Although he has now left Arsenal, the Gunners will still be paying part of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang’s wages until the end of the season.
The Gabonese striker had his contract terminated by mutual agreement on transfer deadline day, allowing him to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
At the time it was presented as a good deal all round, and although the Gunners received no transfer fee for him, they would still make substantial savings on his wages over the balance of his contract.
It will, therefore, come as something of a surprise for the club’s fans to learn that, the only way that the deal could be done, was for Arsenal to continue to part subsidise him to the end of the season, with Barcelona the rest, whilst Aubameyang has also agreed to take a pay cut.
It is estimated that it will cost Arsenal a further £7 million until the end of the season to pay for a player who is no longer even registered with them!
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.