Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Mikel Arteta is confident Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will stay at Arsenal. The Gabon international has just one-year remaining on his contract. (Shaun Botterill/Pool via REUTERS)

It hasn’t been a great season at Arsenal but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been a constant bright spot for the rebuilding Gunners. Bukayo Saka has been the other. Currently 10th in the Premier League, it was fair to wonder whether Aubameyang would bail on the club with only one-year remaining on his current contract. After a big FA Cup win over Manchester City, it would appear the Gabon international is leaning towards staying.

Mikel Arteta sounds pretty confident that a long term extension is on the way for Aubameyang to stay at Arsenal:

“Good and beautiful moments, they are always better than the bad ones,” Arteta told reporters. “As I told you, the way I look at him when I speak with him, he sounds pretty convinced.

“But obviously if he can see that success and the direction we are taking is the right one, I think he will be more positive about it, yes. Hopefully it will help him to be more convinced we are going in the right direction.”

“We are really happy with what has happened in the last four or five days,” Arteta said.

“To beat probably the best two teams in Europe is the nicest thing to do so credit to the players for what they are doing, their performances and the level of fight they are showing.”

Is This Arsenal’s New Level?

Aubameyang, 31, scored both goals in that 2-0 win over City. Arteta obviously believes Arsenal can build a winning side with Aubameyang at the forefront. Aubameyang’s pace and speed have always been off the charts. He leads the club with 25 goals across all competitions. A win over Chelsea in the FA Cup would be another step towards keeping Aubameyang long term.