Barcelona legend Rivaldo believes his former club should decline the option to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal during the next transfer window.
The Catalan giants are planning a new striker addition during the off-season and they have been credited with an interest in Aubameyang, who is approaching the final year of his Gunners contract.
The Gabon international has been a consistent performer over the past nine years and he has contributed a sublime tally of 243 goals and 74 assists from 407 appearances in all competitions.
Despite the glowing statistics, Rivaldo feels Aubameyang may not suit the Blaugrana’s style of play and the board should not purchase any player without the recommendation of the manager.
“Barcelona always looks for the best players available in the market and Aubameyang is obviously a great player who could be a boost for the club,” The former Brazilian star told Betfair.
“But other than simply signing a player, Barcelona must study if a certain player will fit into their current system, or if a transfer could end up forcing the new player to play in a different role, harming his own performance and potentially causing the team problems as well.
“So, it’s crucial to analyse these factors carefully before making an offer to sign a player, as it isn’t just the taste of the president and board that should decide this kind of stuff. You need to understand if the manager would approve of it and will have a space for the player in his system.”
Aubameyang is effective playing on the left wing or as the centre-forward and he is normally at his best when he has the opportunity to run behind the opposition defence on the counter-attack.
In comparison, the Spanish champions generally tend to keep possession in the opposition half and quite often, they prefer to pass their way into the box to score the perfect team goal.
As such, Rivaldo is quite right with his concerns over a possible move for Aubameyang. Meanwhile, the Gunners captain has recently emerged as a transfer target for Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Aubameyang has bagged 20 goals and one assist for Arsenal this term.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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