"You put a knife in my back" - Ex-Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opens up on fallout with Arteta that led to transfer
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has opened up on his fallout with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, claiming the manager lashed out at him. The former Gunners captain said Arteta knew why he had traveled to Spain but still opted to lecture him.
Speaking to Colinterview, Aubemeyang recalled that Arteta grabbed him after a team meeting and shouted at him for traveling to Spain. The Gabonese striker said the manager never informed him directly that he was no longer in his plans.
"I arrive [back], 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," Aubemeyang said.
"I go home and the doctor calls me and says, 'Tomorrow, the coach doesn’t want you to be there'. I said 'okay'. 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," he added.
Aubemeyang left for Arsenal for Barcelona in January 2022 but returned to England next summer to join Chelsea. He spent a season with the Blues before moving to Marseille but left for Al-Qadsiah earlier this year.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang acknowledges he forced Barcelona move from Arsenal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has acknowledged he traveled to Spain in the January window to force a move to Barcelona. The Arsenal star was omitted from the matchday squads before the incident due to disciplinary reasons and he was frustrated with Mikel Arteta.
The Gabonese star told Colinterview:
"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. It affects a man, it was difficult. How to get out? Often we say that we have to talk about it, there’s no shame in that."
Aubameyang played 24 matches for Barcelona and scored 13 times for them. However, he played 21 matches for Chelsea, scoring thrice.