Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been suspended from Borussia Dortmund’s squad for their Bundesliga match away at VfB Stuttgart on Friday after a series of “disciplinary” issues, according to the German club.
It was reported by local media on Thursday that the Gabonese striker, who scored 32 league goals last season to beat Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski to the Bundesliga’s golden boot award, was excluded from Peter Bosz’s squad after turning up late to training.
But fresh reports on Friday suggested there were more serious reasons for his suspension. According to local Dortmund newspaper RevierSport, Aubameyang invited a Red Bull camera team into the inner sanctum of BVB’s training centre to film a video with French football freestyler and “Red Bull athlete” Sean Garnier.
The striker himself brushed off any concerns on his Instagram account, saying: “We shared a funny moment today.” But, having already arrived late, the stunt has apparently not gone down well with his coach or teammates who are under huge pressure having only won one of their last seven games in all competitions – a 5-0 hammering of third-tier Magdeburg.
In that time, league defeats to Red Bull Leipzig, Hannover and Bayern Munich have seen Dortmund drop from first to third in the Bundesliga while disappointing home and away draws against APOEL Nicosia have all but extinguished any hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League.
Repeat offender
It’s not the first time Aubameyang’s overly-relaxed attitude has let him down. Last season, he was omitted from Dortmund’s squad for a Champions League game against Sporting Lisbon, with then-coach Thomas Tuchel citing “internal issues.”
Despite his impressive goal-scoring record, he has also been guilty of sloppy moments which have come close to costing his team, including over-confident, missed penalties against Benfica (last season) and Augsburg (this season).
His poor work rate has also been blamed for undermining Peter Bosz’s aggressive pressing game, allowing opposition defenders too much time and space to play long balls. Consequently, it’s not just Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo who have been able to catch Dortmund off guard, but Sebastien Haller of Frankfurt and Ihlas Bebou of Hannover, too.
Transfer speculation
Of course, Aubameyang has hardly disguised his desire to one day leave Dortmund. Speaking to L’Équipe in February last year, he admitted that his “childhood dream [was] to play at Real Madrid.”
In an interview with French radio station RMC in January this year, he highlighted England as possible destination, saying: “I am really reflecting on a possible departure this coming summer. Many people would like to see me in the Premier League. It's not necessarily the league that attracts me the most, but it could permit me to take the next step."
With transfer speculation involving AC Milan growing over the summer, Borussia Dortmund ultimately put an end to any transfer by imposing their own internal deadline.
In their current crisis, Dortmund need Aubameyang’s goals – starting away at newly-promoted Stuttgart on Friday night. But the fact that Bosz has taken such extreme measures is evidence of the gravity of the striker’s disciplinary issues. He could well be on his way out at the end of the season.
