"He grabs me and he completely tears into me" - Aubameyang details 'crazy' clash with Arteta that led to his Arsenal exit
Former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has opened up about his less-than-amicable exit from the club. He talked about the conversations he had with manager Mikel Arteta that led to his departure.
Aubameyang left the Emirates in January 2022 after falling out with Arteta. The Gabonese striker was stripped of the captaincy after multiple disciplinary issues, including turning up late to a north London derby and missing a number of other games.
Aubameyang has now revealed details about how his relationship with Arteta strained, explaining how the Arsenal boss reprimanded him for his behavior. He said (via GOAL):
"I arrive, the coach finishes his meeting and then he grabs me and he completely tears into me, he shouts at me like I'm crazy, he says: 'You put a knife in my back. You can't do that to me given the times we're going through.' At that moment I tell myself that I'm not going to answer him because it's going to end angrily. I didn't go partying. He knows very well the reason for my departure, so at that moment, I don't understand why he is lecturing me like this."
The former Borussia Dortmund star added:
"I go home and the doctor calls me and says, 'Tomorrow, the coach doesn't want you to be there.' I said 'OK', I knew the next match was coming and I said to myself, 'Damn once again everyone is going to talk about it, it's going to be a mess, what is this crazy thing?' I couldn't understand it.”
Aubameyang made 163 appearances for Arsenal, contributing 92 goals and 21 assists.
"After that, it was over" - Aubameyang opens up about final straw with Mikel Arteta that led to Arsenal exit
Aubameyang also spoke about the end of his time at the Emirates. In December 2021, Mikel Arteta removed the Gabonese forward as skipper after what was labeled as his latest disciplinary breach.
Aubameyang returned to England a few days late after spending time with his family in France. That, coupled with COVID protocols at the time, saw him miss the team's training sessions, which was the last straw for Arteta.
The Spaniard stripped him of his captaincy and Aubameyang left the north London club by mutual consent in the following winter transfer window, joining Barcelona on a free transfer.
Speaking about his final month at Arsenal, he said:
“Once again, [Arteta] explains why he is against me during this period when it was complicated for the club. That I have to be an example and that I couldn't do that. At that moment, I said, 'I admit that I have my share of responsibility, but the real cause I think you can understand if you are a little bit human. You can understand my move.' After that, it was over, I stayed for a month training on my own while waiting for the break.”