Ditch Arsenal for a more ambitious football club, Gabon FA chief tells Aubameyang

Gabon Football Association president Pierre Alain Mounguengui has urged forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to ditch Arsenal if he wants to win trophies.

Mounguengui told ESPN that Aubamayeng is one of the best players in world football but needs to move away from the Premier League based side to win silverware.

"I don't want to say that Arsenal aren't ambitious, but Arsenal don't have ambitions as high as some other clubs as far as Europe is concerned.

"So if Pierre could secure a contract with a more ambitious club, he'd definitely find his place there.

"On an individual level, we all consider him to be among the best players in the world, but the advice I give to him is to continue to work and to attract the attention of the biggest clubs and the most ambitious clubs,” said Mounguengui.

Arsenal have not qualified for the UEFA Champions League since 2015/16 season.

Since Aubameyang’s arrival, Arsenal have lost two finals -- the League Cup in 2018 and the Europa League last season.

"Aubameyang is a world-class player but for him, or anyone else in Europe who hasn't won a major honour, football is a collective sport.

"Right now, he's at Arsenal and he's won nothing here. So it's a collective failing,” Mounguengui added.

His contract with the Premier League club expires at the end of next season.

Aubameyang signed for Arsenal on 31 January 2018 from German side Borussia Dortmund for a then club-record fee of about £56 million (Sh7 billion).

He has since scored 61 goals in all competitions and is the defending golden boot winner with 22 strikes. The free-scoring captain has 17 league goals in the current campaign.

Despite all this success, the fact is he is not getting any younger. The Arsenal superstar is now 31 years old and at the peak of his career.

From a creative standpoint, Aubameyang's presence on the pitch has a tremendous effect on his teammates thus proving him worthy of wearing the Captain's armband.

Arsenal were ninth in the standings before the coronavirus pandemic suspended the football season in England.