Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that former Arsenal teammate Alexandre Lacazette was shocked after hearing about his summer transfer to Chelsea.
Aubameyang, 33, made a surprise move to Stamford Bridge in September - just seven months after leaving the Gunners for Barcelona. The Gabon international was keen to return to the Premier League because he believed he had unfinished business in England.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Aubameyang revealed what Lacazette said to him following his move to Chelsea. The two are close friends after bonding during their time together at Arsenal. Lacazette re-joined Lyon in the summer after five years at the Emirates.
Lacazette was the first former Arsenal player to message Aubameyang after his move to Chelsea. When asked if the message was saying good luck, he laughed and replied: "Nah. No! Even before when he just heard the rumours, he was like, 'Nah. Really?'"
Aubameyang was then asked if Lacazette replied with an emoji. He replied by acting out the shrugging emoji and joked: "Yeah, it was something like this."
He went on to highlight the influence Lacazette had on his career, despite not playing alongside the Frenchman until his late twenties. "If I have to choose one, I think it's Lacazette," he said when asked. "For sure, because in bad times he helped me a lot."
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Aubameyang experienced four indifferent years at Arsenal, scoring 92 goals in 163 games. He was prolific during his first two-and-a-half years at the Emirates, scoring 70 goals in 109 appearances. Yet he found the net just 22 times in 54 games during his final 18 months.
His drop in form happened during Mikel Arteta's ongoing spell at Arsenal. The two had a strained relationship, with the manager stripping the player of the captaincy and allowing him to join Barcelona. The club took a huge financial hit as a result.
Some Gunners fans were disappointed with that decision, as Aubameyang went on to flourish in Spain. He scored 11 goals in 17 La Liga outings during the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign and looked set to play an important role under manager Xavi this term.
But Robert Lewandowski's summer transfer from Bayern Munich to Barcelona - as well as Chelsea's desire to sign him, of course - saw the former Borussia Dortmund striker return to London to join Arsenal's local and top-four rivals on a two-year contract.
Aubameyang has done well during his short time at Chelsea, scoring three goals in five appearances. There were fears he may struggle after manager Thomas Tuchel was sacked - as he helped recruit the player - but those have been quashed due to his good form.
