"Hope we leave him crying on the pitch" Bloody traitor" - Arsenal fans want to exact revenge as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starts for Chelsea
Arsenal fans appear even more determined to win their crucial clash with Chelsea today following news that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be starting.
The 33-year-old faces the Gunners for the first time since leaving the Emirates Stadium in controversial circumstances in January. Aubameyang captained the north London side to an FA Cup victory in 2020, but had his contract terminated less than two years later due to an alleged disciplinary breach.
Aubameyang joined Barcelona before returning to London to sign for Chelsea on transfer deadline day this summer. The Gabon international has struggled so far at Stamford Bridge, scoring just three times in 11 appearances following Thomas Tuchel's dismissal in September.
Arteta's side are aiming to return to the top of the Premier League table with a victory over their London rivals, having won their previous two encounters at the Bridge. But their attention quickly turned to Aubameyang upon the reveal of the two starting lineups, as many took to Twitter to slate their former skipper:
Gabby Agbonlahor believes Aubameyang 'could regret' bizarre advert for Chelsea vs Arsenal clash
In a commercial for BT Sport, who are broadcasting the fixture in the U.K, the Chelsea forward looked into the camera and stated:
“Arsenal, nothing personal.”
Before adding:
“I’m back. I’m blue. I’m ready.”
Speaking to TalkSPORT, former Aston Villa and England forward Agbonlahor stated that he felt the advert showed disrespect to his former team, as the pundit proclaimed:
“I am surprised and I reckon BT Sport will have been buzzing to get him to say those words because it adds more spice to the game and more viewers, of course. It’s very strange, I think. You don’t need to do that. I’d never have done that.
“These things seem to work against you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came on and missed a sitter and then Arsenal go and win and you think, ‘Why did you have to do that?’.
“The respect he should have for Arsenal, yes, he fell out with Mikel Arteta, but the fans loved Aubameyang. So I think it’s a silly thing to do and he could regret that.”
Agbonlahor added:
“Arteta is probably saying to his defenders, Gabriel and William Saliba, ‘Watch that, he said he’s back and he’s going to have a good game against you, so forget about being friends with him, you stop him’. 'If you have to kick him, kick him, do what you have to do to stop Aubameyang’.”