African Player of the Month: SuperSport Picks Aubameyang

SuperSport has picked Arsenal and Gabon international, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the African Player for the Month of November 2018.

The 29-year-old featured in four matches for Arsenal through the month and racked up five goals and an assist in just 221 playing minutes for the Gunners. He also played the full game for his national team Gabon as they claimed an important 3-0 win over South Sudan in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Auba, as he is fondly known, has established himself as an incredible ‘impact’ player under new Arsenal manager Unai Emery. The Panthers attacker came off the bench to brilliant effect in Premier League matches against Fulham and Leicester this month.

Against the Cottagers he racked up two goals and an assist, while his cameo against the Foxes also featured two strikes – and this was in a combined 57 minutes of play!

In addition, the former Borussia Dortmund man also started and scored a goal in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace this past weekend – bringing their unbeaten run to 12 matches across all competitions.

The Gunners are probably too early in their development under Emery to be considered true title contenders in the Premier League, but with Auba – and his great partnership with French forward Alexandre Lacazette – they know that they have the firepower to strike fear into any opposition.

“There is no competition over who scored more goals. Maybe in training we do because it helps us to improve but not in the weekend,” said Lacazette in regards to his relationship with the Gabonese star.

He added: “If Auba scores 40 goals, we finish in the Champions League and win something then I will be happy. This season we just want to win something.”

Aubameyang is not the only African to have impressed in the Premier League through the month of October. The Liverpool duo of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah appear to have rediscovered their peak form in the last few weeks, and the showdown between the pair and Auba when Arsenal host Liverpool on the first weekend of November promises to be awesome.

In addition, Riyad Mahrez has found his feet at Manchester City and is beginning to thrive under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola. The Algerian scored a brilliant goal and put in a great overall performance in a 5-0 win over Burnley, and was also the match-winner in the Citizens’ 1-0 triumph away to Tottenham Hotspur on October 29.

The former Leicester City star dedicated his goal against Spurs to the Foxes’ late club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a tragic helicopter accident near the King Power Stadium this past weekend.

“The boss was very special to me. I spent four and a half years there and have many memories with him,” explained the North Africa attacker.

“He was such a good person and had a big heart. It was heart-breaking and shocking for me to hear this news and for all of the other people who died with him. I am with Leicester and the family of the victims.”