February 03, (THEWILL) – During his presentation as a Barcelona player, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang discussed, amongst other issues, his tense relationship with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
On Wednesday, the striker joined Barça on a free transfer, bringing an end to a long saga. Aubameyang had been stripped of his Arsenal captaincy and was dismissed from the first-team squad weeks before his departure, an occurrence that typified a tumultuous period for the pair.
On Thursday, when asked about the end of his Arsenal tenure, Aubameyang said: “It was a difficult few months. I’ve never wanted to do anything wrong, it’s in the past.”
Asked if the problem was just with Arteta: “Yeah, I think it was just with him. I can’t say much, he wasn’t happy, I stayed calm and that’s it.”
Although his stint at the Emirates Stadium ended in disappointment, Aubameyang had a fruitful start to his Arsenal career, scoring 22 Premier League goals in his first two full seasons and scoring the game-winning goal in the 2020 FA Cup final.
Barcelona will be hoping he can continue in that vein for the remainder of the season, though Aubameyang has admitted that he may need some time to adjust.
“I haven’t played a game in a long time but it’s very clear in my head that I’ll be ready soon to play and to help. I know we’re going to get back to the top little by little,” he said.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
