Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has confessed his move to Chelsea from Barcelona was a ‘f*****g big mistake.’
The previous Arsenal captain left the Gunners in acrimonious circumstances following a breakdown in his relationship with Mikel Arteta.
A move to Barcelona appeared to have rejuvenated Aubameyang’s profession however the Catalan giants were forced to sell one in every of their leading forwards in the summertime of 2022.
The alternative boiled right down to parting company with Memphis Depay or Aubameyang and when Chelsea got here calling for the Gabon international, who had suffered the trauma of a violent burglary during his time in Catalunia, reluctantly moved to Stamford Bridge.
On the time the move appeared to make sense given he was reuniting with Thomas Tuchel under whom he’d worked during the most effective spells of his profession at Borussia Dortmund.
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Tuchel, nevertheless, was dismissed almost immediately after Aubameyang’s arrival and he subsequently did not win the religion of the German’s successor, Graham Potter.
Appearing as a guest on the YouTube channel of former AFTV content creator Troopz, Aubameyang opened up on his ill-fated decision.
He said: ‘At the moment I had a foul moment in Barcelona. I had a house break-in and Barca needed to sell a player – me or Memphis Depay – and the one thing that was on the table was Chelsea.
‘So I said okay, for my family, I’ll move away, even when it’s Chelsea.
‘I used to be pondering possibly it should be okay, Olivier Giroud went from Arsenal to Chelsea and he had no problems, but for me it was different.’
Aubameyang is currently playing for Marseille after a temporary spell in Suadi Arabia with Al Qadsiah.
The 36-year-old is in motion for his country this week as they tackle Nigeria in an important World Cup qualifier against Nigeria.
Aubameyang will come face-to-face with one in every of his former Arsenal teammates, Alex Iwobi, who has spoken within the build-up to the sport of his deep affection for his old skipper.
‘I used to be his little brother,’ said Iwobi. ‘He was taking good care of me. He used to seek advice from me, have banter, just make sure that I feel comfortable.
‘On the pitch, he all the time said to me,’ he said. ‘Alex, just express yourself, be you.’ He’s a really, very completely satisfied guy.
‘His aura and his charisma are only amazing. He’s all the time twiddling with a smile on his face.’
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