Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Matthias Sammer has warned Arsenal that they are trying to sign a rotten apple in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the picture the striker will present of himself is not accurate.
Aubameyang has fallen out with the Dortmund hierarchy and his constant disciplinary indiscretions led to him being out of the squad for their last two league games.
Dortmund have publicly vented out their frustration about the player and are prepared to sell the striker in the winter window if a club match their €70m valuation.
Arsenal are in talks with Dortmund for Aubameyang and despite there being some distance between their offer and the player’s price, they are confident of getting a deal done.
However, red flags have been raised about the Gabon international’s attitude and Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes recently said that he would never sign a player such as Aubameyang.
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And Sammer insisted that it is wrong to assume that the striker will mend his ways at his new club after being so difficult to work with at Dortmund.
Indeed, he indicated that a leopard does not change its spots.
“There's one thing that we need to point out though”, Sammer said on Eurosport when talking about Aubameyang.
“When a player goes on strike somewhere and isolate themselves, and a big club then takes the striking player on – and that is exactly what Jupp Heynckes was talking about – then this is about decency, morals and values.
“The so-called "rotten apple" who is lazing around at one club and then presents himself at his [new] club suddenly in all his beauty is a fairy tale."
Despite all his off field antics, Aubameyang has remained a goalscoring force on it and has netted 21 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions this season.
