Cole and Wright urge Arsenal to find ´top names´ to keep Wembley hero Aubameyang sweet

Ashley Cole believes FA Cup winners Arsenal must bring “top names” to the club if they want to keep Wembley hero Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Two goals from Aubameyang ushered Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the first behind-closed-doors FA Cup final.

With less than 12 months left on his Arsenal contract, Aubameyang’s future remains unclear, although head coach Mikel Arteta has expressed confidence a new deal can be agreed.

Former Arsenal defender Cole said it was not enough for the club to focus on bringing through young talent if they want to show the likes of Aubameyang they have real ambition.

And he challenged the Gunners’ board to give Arteta the funds to go out and build a stronger team for next season.

Cole said: “I think they’ve got to back him. He’s done enough. You see the qualities he has so you’ve got to back him now.

“He’s got the young ones coming through, but I still feel you need some experience.

“If you want to keep Aubameyang, it’s all good keeping youngsters, but you’ve got to bring some top names alongside them as well.”

There are few sharper finishers in English football than Aubameyang, and his 22 goals in the Premier League offered further proof of his importance to Arsenal.

FOURTEEN TIMES.

Here’s how @Arsenal beat the Blues to win the #HeadsUpFACupFinal  pic.twitter.com/Qj9y41z13f

— The Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) August 1, 2020

Club great Ian Wright also reckons Aubameyang will be looking for indications of Arsenal’s resolve to challenge the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United on a consistent basis.

Wright, who like Cole was speaking on BBC One, considered the prospect of incoming top talent and Aubameyang’s future being intertwined.

“I’m sure it’ll be one of his stipulations for him staying,” Wright said.

“He will want the kind of players around him that are going to create chances for him, who are going to have the same ambition as him, wanting to win things and wanting to win things with the club.

“That’s what I would want to do if I was staying.

“It’s a long road Arsenal are on under Arteta. This is a good start.

“You just hope now the people upstairs will look at the kind of manager they’ve got, the ambitions he’s got and back him as much as they can because I think he’ll bring the good times back.”