Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked back on the last days of his time at Arsenal.
The Gabonese striker admits that Mikel Arteta and he were not on good terms before he left for Barcelona. In a long interview given to The Athletic, Aubameyang remembers being deported for arriving late while overseas helping his sick mother.
“It was a mistake on my part. I should have returned the day before, but I didn’t arrive until the morning. I didn’t say I missed the plane because I was preoccupied with everything which was happening with my mother. I went straight to the team meeting and everything seemed normal. After that he (Arteta) told me to come with him. said I couldn’t do such a thing because I was the captain and it was unacceptable. He said I stabbed him in the back. I don’t know why he said that. I got angry because it didn’t add up. he knew why I took the plane. He knew the reason I was having difficulty that year I was expecting help from him. he’s killing me like that.”
We also asked Aubameyang if he could have resolved the situation by apologizing. “When I’m late and it’s my fault, there’s no problem. In that case, I always apologize. But in this case, I will never apologize.”
Aubameyang also recalled another episode where he was sent to the stands for a match against Tottenham because he arrived late.
“When you go to a match, you drive to the stadium to take a bus to the hotel. I didn’t miss the bus, but they were waiting for me. There was a traffic accident near from home, and I probably should have left earlier, but you never know in advance that something like this is going to happen. He was very angry because it was an important match. When we got there. the hotel, he took me up to his room and told not to play. He was very strict. The rules are the rules. I had tears in my eyes because I wanted to play this game so much and I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I stood up in front of everyone and apologized Later, he also came to my house because he didn’t want to cause chaos. I said it would get better, but it didn’t. never been the same.”
Aubameyang ended the conversation on Arteta saying that he didn’t hold a grudge against the Spaniard, who actually sent him a message when he ended up leaving for Barcelona. Today, Aubameyangaged 35, plays for Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia.
