In one of the most significant moves of the January transfer window, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang packed his bags and left Arsenal for Barcelona.
The forward began the campaign as Gunners captain, and expected another excellent season. After becoming the quickest player in the club’s history to bag 50 goals, the Gabon international wanted to continue to cement his Arsenal legacy.
But his tenure at the club eventually spiralled into the abyss. In December, the striker was dropped from the squad due to disciplinary reasons, before Mikel Arteta stripped him of the captaincy.
Read: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: The events that led to him losing Arsenal captaincy
On February 1, Aubameyang’s contract was terminated by mutual consent, and he signed for Barcelona on a free transfer the following day.
Aubameyang proving worth at Barcelona
The move appears to have worked wonders already. On Sunday, in a 4-1 win over Valencia in La Liga, he seemed back to his brilliant best.
It took him just 23 minutes to break down the home defence before smashing the ball into the top right corner. He followed this by showcasing his excellent positioning. The 32-year-old awaited the perfect cross and scored with a simple tap-in.
To solidify an excellent performance – and his first hat-trick at the club – Pedri’s shot deflected off the Gabon international to fly into the back of the net.
His goalscoring show has brought Arteta’s decision to let him leave into question. Although many believe that the Spaniard made the correct call, others thought he still had plenty of quality to offer Arsenal.
After his relationship with the manager got worse, he felt he had no choice but to leave the North London club.
As per The Athletic, he said: “My last few months at Arsenal were complicated, that’s football sometimes. For my part, I never wanted to do anything wrong. My problem was only with Arteta. I can’t say much more. I wasn’t happy.”
The player himself has now admitted his reasons behind leaving the Gunners to join Barcelona.
Read: Emmanuel Adebayor aims dig at Arsenal over Aubameyang treatment
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang speaks out
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Aubameyang explained precisely why he left Arsenal to move to the Nou Camp – and why he took a wage cut in the process.
The Barcelona man agreed to take a pay-cut at Arsenal during the pandemic. Due to his burning desire to move to Spain, he agreed to do the same thing once again.
He admitted: “I think it’s a great club and I really wanted to come here. It is an opportunity that you have once in a lifetime and here I am.”
Following his move to the Spanish giants, Aubameyang laid out two goals that he can’t wait to try and accomplish.
“I want to win games,” he began. “I want to win this Europa League, so if we want to win it, we have to win this game [against Napoli].
“Yes, I still have it nailed [Arsenal’s Europa League final defeat to Chelsea in 2019]. Now I have another opportunity and also, for us, it is to go in the Champions League.
The 32-year-old then added: “I want to win the league and the Champions League here.”
After his hat-trick against Valencia, Barca fans will hope that Aubameyang continues to put in top performances and helps them back to their former glories.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
