Arteta laments Arsenal losing ‘most important player’ Aubameyang

Mikel Arteta has called on other members of his Arsenal side to step up while captain and leading scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang serves a three-game ban.

The Gabon international was dismissed for a rash tackle on Crystal Palace midfielder Max Meyer in Saturday’s 1-1 draw between the clubs. Initially given a yellow card, Aubameyang saw red after an intervention by VAR.

“Losing probably the most important player is never nice,” Arteta said.

“We have other players that can play in that position. We will try to find a way and be as competitive as possible.

Aubameyang has apologised for the tackle, saying he didn’t intend to injure Meyer, but will still miss three matches, headlined by a clash with London rivals Chelsea.