Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang snubs Arteta in farewell message to Arsenal

• Aubameyang issued an emotional statement to Arsenal fans after his departure from the club after four years
• The Gabon international said he was ‘hurt’ by how things ended, but expressed gratitude to the fans for support over the years
• He however failed to mention Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta anywhere in his parting shot to Arsenal and the fans

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has snubbed Mikel Arteta in his emotional goodbye message to Arsenal as the Gabon international sealed a move to Barcelona.

The 32-year old, in a lengthy message on his Instagram, revealed he was ‘hurt’ by the manner in which he departed Arsenal but was grateful to the club’s fans for the support over the years.

“To the Arsenal fans,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Thank you for making London home for myself and my family for the past four years. We went through ups and downs together and your support meant everything to me,”

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The Gabon international was frozen out of the Arsenal squad in December 2021 over disciplinary issues, and has not played for the club since.

He flew to Cameroon early for the Africa Cup of Nations, but had to make a return to London without featuring for Gabon after he was found to have ‘heart lesions’.

“Always committed”

In his message, Aubameyang reiterated he has always tried to stay committed to the cause and his work as a professional football player.

“I have always been 100% focused and committed on doing everything I can for this club which is why leaving without a real goodbye hurts – but that is football,” he went on.

“I’m sad I did not get the chance to help my teammates in the last few weeks, but I have nothing but respect for this club and truly wish all my guys and the fans all the best and many successful years in the future!”

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Auba’s time at Arsenal

Having signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, Aubameyang lived up to his reputation as a world class forward at Arsenal.

But things started to go south for the forward 18 months ago, when he signed a lucrative new deal that saw him become one of the top earners in the Premier League on £350,000-a-week.

His new deal came at the back of an impressive spell that saw him help his side win the FA Cup and Community Shield.

Over time, his relationship with Mikel Arteta seemed to worsen, and a series of events including disciplinary issues, a spell with malaria and positive COVID-19 tests in recent months saw him completely fall out of favour in the starting XI.

Arsenal were willing to see him leave for free, with the bigger picture being his departure would save the club up to £15 million in wages.

Bizarrely enough, Aubameyang has already started training with the Barcelona first team despite the fact that the club is yet to officially announce him as at Wednesday, February 2.