"Signing for this special club was never in doubt," proclaimed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But plenty doubted amid the uncertainty that abounded in a dark winter. Yet Mikel Arteta has radiated confidence recently and his captain committed his future to Arsenal on Tuesday. A saga had a happy ending.
It felt a triumph that derived from Arteta’s persuasive powers and the evidence of improvement in his reign, which in turn was powered by Aubameyang. The one indisputably world-class player at the Emirates Stadium is tied down until 2023.
At his current rate of progress, Aubameyang could be behind only Thierry Henry, Ian Wright and Cliff Bastin on the leaderboard of Arsenal’s all-time goalscorers by then.
It remains salient that only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Aubameyang have scored 20 league goals in the top five divisions in Europe in each of the last five seasons and the Gabonese has often done it in inferior sides. He would get in the Barcelona team now but is staying at officially England’s eighth best side.
But a coup comes with a cost. Aubameyang's contract is reportedly worth £250,000 (Dh1.2 million) a week. Willian earns a six-figure sum a week. Each is formidably fit and the top scorer remains electric. Neither is showing any signs of decline. But they are 31 and 32 and will that still be the case when each remains on the books in 2023? In their quest to return to the Champions League, have they traded short-term gain for potential long-term pain by mortgaging the future?
Arsenal already represent the cautionary tale about a supersized contract. Mesut Ozil will carry on collecting £350,000 a week until next summer even though he has not featured since March and, one game into his Gunners career, Willian already has as many assists for the club in the last 13 months.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday Emiliano Martinez left for Aston Villa. Like Aubameyang, the Argentine was one of the heroes of Arsenal's FA Cup win. His departure reflected a desire to play first-team football, but also illustrated that Arsenal are having to claw back some of the money they are spending.
His £20m fee could be very excessive, considering a perennial understudy’s summer excellence could be too small a sample size to determine his quality, or a bargain, as Martinez had the division’s best save percentage last season.
But Arsenal, who made a £27m loss in 2018/19 when their matchday revenue was £96m, leaving them vulnerable in a world without crowds, face awkward decisions. They would have hoped to fund deals by losing Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi, but both linger, obdurately unsold.
Likewise, both Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Sead Kolasinac remain Gunners, even though defensive arrivals render them surplus to requirements. Sometimes the unwanted are unsellable.
And so a delicate balancing act could entail losing assets beyond Martinez. Arsenal were considering sacrificing the Wolves target Ainsley Maitland-Niles before an inspired showing in the Community Shield prompted a rethink.
Hector Bellerin is the first-choice right-back, another product of the youth system and Aubameyang’s potential successor as captain, but Paris Saint-Germain’s interest and the reality he would command a decent fee means the Spaniard could be sold.
Aubameyang’s striking sidekick and close friend Alexandre Lacazette is another in the select group with admirers and value and if there is a logic to trading him to Atletico Madrid for Thomas Partey, it would leave Arsenal more reliant on Aubameyang for goals.
It would feel a shame, too, if Lucas Torreira were to go, even if he is one of the few who has not benefited from Arteta’s arrival. Aubameyang has assumed responsibility wonderfully of late, but he may need to take on even more soon.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m
Winner: AF Mozhell, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Majdi, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Athabeh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Eshaar, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi
4pm: Gulf Cup presented by Longines Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Al Roba’a Al Khali, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Younis Al Kalbani
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Apolo Kid, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muahiri
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
Rating: 3/5
Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
UAE v Zimbabwe A, 50 over series
Fixtures
Thursday, Nov 9 - 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 11 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Monday, Nov 13 – 2pm, Dubai International Stadium
Thursday, Nov 16 – 2pm, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 18 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Honeymoonish
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
