Van Persie tells Arsenal what to do to keep Aubameyang

Robin Van Persie has told Arsenal to strengthen their squad in the transfer window to boost their hopes of retaining star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Aubameyang has less than 12 months left on his contract at the Emirates and has so far been stalling on penning a new deal.

The Gabonese star’s reluctance can be put down to several factors, with a lack of top-class teammates probably headlining the list.

Since joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, the 31-year-old striker has done everything in his power to drive Arsenal to the Premier League and European success.

However, a genuine lack of support from his teammates and the club’s unwillingness to invest in new signings have seen Aubameyang miss out on Champions League football for three successive seasons.

Despite the ongoing concerns regarding the club’s financial struggles due to the coronavirus crisis, Robin Van Persie is confident the world-class arrivals are the only way Arsenal can persuade their captain to stay put.

“I don’t know what Arsenal have offered him and I’m not really talking about money, I’m more talking about players,” the Dutchman said, as relayed by the Metro.

“Players like him want to play with world-class players. He is a world-class player in my opinion, and he wants to be surrounded by world-class players.

“Then you have to ask him – it’s up to him if he thinks that he can win the Premier League at Arsenal.

“Because winning the FA Cup was very nice, but these types of players and Arsenal football club want to compete for the Premier League and the Champions League.

“That is the big goal – you want to compete with the best teams there are.”

Van Persie had found himself in a similar situation during his time at Arsenal, which ultimately resulted in him joining bitter Premier League rivals Manchester United.