Arsenal were delighted to find a buyer for Pierre-Emerick Aubammeyang in January. They had committed to a huge contract, and had ended up with a player who was causing disruption off the field and not performing on it – all at a huge cost to them.
Yet it’s the team who bought him who feels like they got the best deal now. After scoring the winner against Real Sociedad last night, the striker now has 9 goals in his first 11 games at the club.
That puts him in elite company in the history of the entire league. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the last player to do it – way back in 2009.
The only other players who have managed it are Christian Vieri in 1997, plus Romario and Ronaldo Nazario. That’s truly impressive company to keep for any forward, and Barcelona must be feeling pretty smug about their winter business.
It won’t win them the title this year, but it’s contributed to a real turnaround ahead of what should be a competitive 2022/2023 season.
