Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may be left to regret his words following a recent interview where he described himself as the ‘coolest captain’ in the Premier League.

Aubameyang was dropped by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for last Saturday’s 3-0 victory at home to Southampton having breached club discipline protocols.

But Arteta went a step further on Tuesday by axing him as skipper, and now will not consider him for selection ahead of the crunch clash midweek with Champions League chasing West Ham.

The brutal axing comes less than a month after Aubameyang talked up his captain credentials.

‘I’m the coolest captain in the league, maybe in the world!’ he told Arsenal’s website.

‘To tell the truth I try to be an example, I think that is the most important part of being a captain and trying to inspire the young people in the squad but also the older people as well. I try to give my best and give whatever I can for the club.

‘This is the job, when you are the captain, this is the job: you have to take it, to accept it and deal with it. It’s a nice job, it is the nicest job in football. Definitely.’

Elaborating on his style of captaincy, Aubameyang added:  ‘My door is always open. When we struggle, I just like to say a few words to the guys and try to give them positive things in their mind. In my mind, even if it’s just two or three words, this can change something and maybe it’s a good thing.’

The Gabon international was given permission to go abroad last Wednesday morning to collect his sick mum and bring her back to England.

However, it had been agreed that Aubameyang would return later that evening to ensure he would be ready to train on Thursday.

But he reportedly flew home on Thursday morning instead and current Covid testing protocols also meant that he was unable to return to training until he had produced a negative PCR test.

It’s proven to be the third and final strike for Arteta as it follows previous breaches of club discipline including posing with a tattoo artist at the height of lockdown while also reporting late for a north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year.