Alexandre Lacazette has revealed he 'didn't like' Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before he moved to the Emirates in January 2018. Whilst the two are now known to have a fantastic relationship, it seems as though that wasn't always the case.
Aubameyang has always been spoken about as a great goalscorer, but the Gabon international has also been accused of ill-discipline throughout his career. The latest of those claims came at Arsenal after he fell out with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta. He was consequently stripped of the captaincy by the Spaniard and exiled from the squad. The forward eventually had his contract terminated by the club by mutual consent before he signed for Barcelona on a free transfer, where he has 10 goals in just 15 games.
As a result of Aubameyang's well-known discrepancies, Lacazette has admitted he had “misconceptions” about his former teammate. In an interview with French outlet Canal TV+, as cited by the Evening Standard, the Frenchman said: “I had some misconceptions about him.
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“Before he arrived, I didn’t like him. To be honest, I’m not mates with the Aubemayang you see on Instagram. I’m mates with Pierre-Emerick. People don’t know Pierre-Emerick. They know Aubameyang."
Lacazette has taken over captaincy duties from Aubameyang at Arsenal, but he's caused a bit of a storm after claiming he wants to play in the Champions League again. The 30-year-old's contract runs out at the end of the current campaign, but with Arsenal in the race for Champions League football, fans have been critical of his poor form in front of goal.
The Frenchman has only mustered four Premier League goals all season - two of which weren't in open play. To therefore hear that he wants the very thing that Arsenal fans are also desperate for is understandably frustrating for the Emirates faithful.
"I am in discussions with a lot of clubs. I am open," he added. “I want to play in Europe, it’s been a long time since I played in the Champions League, I’m missing it. It’s a little more complicated, nothing is impossible in life, but it’s a little more complicated."
