- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Arsenal after falling out with Mikel Arteta
- He has talked about where everything went wrong in the Emirates.
- Hear It's all starting! Jack Grealish will not be allowed to roam at Man City… will be sold this summer if things don't change
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has spoken out about his bitter departure from Arsenal following his clash with Mikel Arteta.
Aubameyang became a fan favorite at the Emirates after arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, and played a starring role in leading the Gunners to FA Cup glory in 2020.
He was named club captain and soon after was rewarded with a lucrative new contract, but his final year at the club was a disaster as his relationship with Arteta quickly deteriorated before moving to Barcelona on a free transfer in January 2022.
The Gabonese striker has explained where things went wrong and believes arriving late (and subsequently excluded from the matchday squad) for the north London derby against Tottenham in March 2021 was the beginning of the end.
'There was a (traffic) accident near my house; Maybe I should have left earlier, but you don't know what will happen,” Aubameyang explained in an interview with The Athletic. “I was angry because it's an important game.
'When we got to the hotel, he called me to his room and told me he wasn't going to play. He was strict. The rules are the rules. I felt hurt. I had tears because I really wanted to play that game. I didn't want to hurt anyone. The next day we had a meeting and I stood in front of everyone to ask for forgiveness. He also came to my house to talk, because he didn't want this to be chaos.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened up about his public consequences with Mikel Arteta
Aubameyang's relationship with Arteta quickly deteriorated, leading to him leaving Arsenal in 2022.
Aubameyang missed the north London derby against Tottenham in March 2021, which Arsenal won 2-1, after arriving late, and believes this changed his relationship with Arteta.
“I said, 'Everything is going to be okay.' But from then on it wasn't the same.”
Nine months later, Aubameyang's timing was once again in the spotlight after he returned late to the UK following an authorized trip to France to see his ill mother.
Aubameyang admits he did not tell the club he would be staying one more night with his mother before returning to London, but revealed he refused to apologize on this occasion because he felt Arteta mishandled the situation.
'I went straight to a team meeting. “Everything was normal,” Aubameyang said. 'After that, he (Arteta) said: “Come with me.” Here he started shouting. He said he couldn't do this because he was the captain and it was not acceptable.
'He said I hit him in the back with a knife; I don't know why he said that. I got really angry because it wasn't true and he knew why I flew. He knew the reason and what was happening, he knew I was struggling that year. I expected help from him, not to kill me like that.
'When I'm late, (and) it's my fault, no problem. I always said I'm sorry. But in this case, I will never apologize. For taking my mother from Laval (her hometown in France) to London? No. Even if I was a day late, I would never apologize. You understand it or you don't understand it. If not, don't give them a day off or tell people they can't fly.”
Aubameyang was subsequently dropped from the first team during the busy Christmas period and did not return to the fold before Arsenal decided to let him go to Barcelona without a fee.
He returned to face the Gunners when he signed for Chelsea in September 2022, but his time at Stamford Bridge did not go as planned and Marseille signed him after just one season.
The 35-year-old now plays in Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Qadsiah in July.
