Days after the FA president in Gabon said that Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should leave London, reports have leaked that Real Madrid is making serious inquiries into the player’s availability. Los Blancos have no reason to pursue PEA!
Real Madrid is in a precarious spot when it comes to the striker position. Karim Benzema has been running the show for a decade now and his tendency to go from world-class goalscorer to ghost on the pitch is starting to wear thin on the nerves of the fans.
To make matters worse, when Karim can’t score with consistency, there is little in the way of back-ups. Luka Jovic has had a difficult first season in Spain and has been heavily criticized by the media for his lack of goals since joining.
Mariano Diaz is the only other viable option at the club right now but for some reason, manager Zinedine Zidane has not wanted to play the fiery striker and it seems he will leave the club during the summer.
So, rumors from France Football saying that Real Madrid is asking Arsenal the price to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang might make sense to a neutral fan.
Madridistas, however, may be hesitant to bring in the player. While there is no denying that PEA has had an illustrious career and is a fantastic finisher, his age plus the risk of spending a bunch of money on a player who has two or three elite years remaining may be cause for concern.
Benzema will turn 33 at the end of this year and Aubameyang will soon turn 32. Is it worth spending between €50 and €65 million for someone who is this “old”?
I don’t think so. While Borja Mayoral should not be seen and is not a viable option as another backup, Aubameyang would not fit in well to Zidane’s system.
A few years ago, Aubameyang made a promise to his late grandfather that he would one day play for Real Madrid. However, that window of playing in the Santiago Bernabeu has now passed.
I am still a firm believer in Jovic’s ability and he just needs more regular minutes to succeed. Also, what about Kylian Mbappe? Though he might not be an out and out number nine, his ability to play on and off the ball would be perfect for Zizou’s system.
Real Madrid will likely need to sell some players who are out on loan and on the current first team in order to buy Mbappe, but long-term, he is the better solution.