The club legend has told the Gunners to overhaul their recruitment policy to become more competitive in the Premier League
Arsenal legend Tony Adams believes that the club face losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the summer transfer window and claims that their current transfer policy will prevent them from challenging for the Premier League crown.
The Gunners presently lie ninth in the standings, with the season still on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
This mid-table position is in spite of the Gabon international’s heroics in front of goal, with the ex-Saint-Etienne and Borussia Dortmund forward having tallied 17 times, accounting for close to half of his club’s league goals this season.
Adams, though, believes the hitman could be off in the summer due to the club’s inability to challenge for the league title, with big-hitters Chelsea and Barcelona both said to be interested.
“Quite possibly, he could walk out the door,” Adams told Sky Sports.
“I loved [former manager] Arsene Wenger’s principles, that no player was bigger than the club, and he moved players on if it made sense for the club financially.
“He was strong with that and he got Champions League football every year but it did stand in the way of recruitment – so we have become a club that is selling the best players.”
Adams hopes present boss Mikel Arteta will have some say in whether the star striker stays, as well as any potential signings.
“If I was a coach I’d be saying: ‘Don’t sell Aubameyang at any price, we need to recruit, bring players through the academy and keep our best players.’”
The former centre-back revealed that he rejected the offer to move to Manchester United because of the ambition of the club in his days.
“Alex Ferguson came in for me but I wouldn’t leave and I said to the chairman: ‘Have we got ambition at the club?’” he said.
“He said: ‘Don’t worry, we are injecting a lot of money and we are going to go for it.’
“I stayed and the rest is history – Dennis Bergkamp came and Nicolas Anelka, Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Robert Pires – we had five World Cup winners in the team.
“It is a completely different club today and I think recruitment at Arsenal for a good few years has not been great.
“Now we seem to be selling our best players and you are never going to recruit a championship squad selling all your best players.”
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