I Joined Borussia Dortmund To Develop A Team – Peter Stoger

Peter Stoger has said he expects Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will remain at the club this month despite speculation linking him with a move to Arsenal.

Stoger said “I’d like to think that” when asked if he thought the striker would remain at the club.

Stoger also said “a lack of understanding” was behind Aubameyang’s suspension from the squad for Sunday’s draw against Wolfsburg.

“Disappointment is the wrong word for it,” Stoger said. “It’s rather a lack of understanding, because I can’t really comprehend such a behaviour. But admittedly I am not the only one.

“I actually got to know him as a decent lad, and that’s why it’s even harder to understand. But I am not personally disappointment, in the sense that it affects me more than the squad or the club.”

Stoger, who replaced Peter Bosz in December, added that he does not expect a team “to march lock-step like in the army” but felt he needed to act in this case.

“I am here to develop a team, and thus I make the decisions which help the club in the long run, even though they might not be ideal for short-term success,” he said.

“We knew the decision [to suspend Aubameyang] would cause some noise. But we all want to develop a team spirit here. We can still achieve a lot with it,” he said.

“I don’t rate fines as the only consequence. I never once fined anyone in my entire career. Somebody shows the cash, and that’s it? My punishment tends to be at the weekend, like in this case.”