Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has blamed Mikel Arteta for his Arsenal exit after securing a free transfer switch to Barcelona in the January window.
Speaking at his official unveiling as a Barcelona player (h/t GOAL), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has laid the blame for his Arsenal exit at the feet of manager Mikel Arteta.
Aubameyang had a falling out with Arteta at Arsenal after the Spaniard decided to remove the striker from captaincy duties to a disciplinary breach. The 32-year-old was axed from the first-team squad by the manager over the past couple of months, which led to speculations over his future heading into the January window.
Arsenal were keen on offloading Aubameyang and Barcelona decided to pounce on the opportunity. While it was initially expected that the striker would be joining the Catalans on loan for the rest of the season, the Gunners decided to terminate his contract, allowing the Gabonese international to sign for the La Liga bigwigs on a permanent transfer.
Aubameyang has signed a contract with Barcelona that runs until 2025, although both parties have the option of terminating it in the summer of 2023, should things not turn out as per plans.
?❤️ @Auba takes his first steps onto the Camp Nou pitch pic.twitter.com/IrUs3brB1Z
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 3, 2022
Following the switch, the former Borussia Dortmund has now opened up on the circumstances leading to his exit, claiming that Arteta was to blame for the sudden departure.
“They were complicated months, but I think that’s how football is sometimes. For my part, I have never wanted to do something wrong, and now I think that this is the past, and I want to think about the present, and right now, that is my answer.
“I think the problem was only with Arteta and he made the decision. I can’t say much, I wasn’t happy and that’s it. It happened like that. I wasn’t very happy, I stayed very calm and that’s it,” Aubameyang said.
Aubameyang left Arsenal four years after arriving from Dortmund in January 2018. He scored 92 goals in over 160 appearances for the Gunners. He had not been in the best form of late but will be hoping to turn things around at Barcelona, where he will don the No. 25 jersey. The striker is expected to make his debut when the Catalan giants face Atletico Madrid on Sunday in La Liga.
