The movement of a striker on transfer deadline day went in the opposite direction to what Arsenal fans wanted as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the club permanently to join Barcelona on a free deal.
Arsenal agreed to terminate the player’s contract by mutual consent that will see the north London side contribute towards Aubameyang’s wages in instalments until the summer. Then, Barcelona will take over full responsibility for Aubameyang’s wage according to The Athletic.
The move ended a saga that had dragged on since the beginning of December when Aubameyang was stripped of his captaincy for another disciplinary breach. Mikel Arteta had explained this was the latest of what was believed to be multiple issues behind the scenes. Previously Aubameyang arrived late to the north London derby in the prior season.
Many had been waiting for more than the goodbye message that Aubameyang posted to his social feeds and he obliged today during his unveiling in Catalonia.
When asked about leaving the Gunners, Aubameyang made sure to address who he felt was the main issue for him and that led to his eventual departure.
"My last few months at Arsenal were complicated, that's football sometimes. For my part, I never wanted to do anything wrong," the Gabon international said.
"My problem was only with Arteta . I can't say much more, I wasn't happy.
“It was just him and he made that decision. He wasn't happy, I can't tell you more. He wasn't very happy, I was very calm."
Aubameyang is not the first player to be exiled from the club during Arteta’s tenure with Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi removed for varying reasons.
The Spaniard has remained coy upon questioning and when the first press conference for the Premier League’s return takes place, Arteta will be asked about the 32-year-old striker’s comments.
Arteta however will surely have the perfect response which is to shut down the enquiry and reveal little-to-no details about the situation.
The focus is on football. On getting this club back into the Champions League. The drama may be unavoidable at times, especially with some of the individuals that have been at this club in recent times, but there is a job to do now.
Interestingly, Arsenal's social media page decided to send a push notification on the official club app and social feeds only minutes after Aubameyang's critical comments surfaced.
The video highlighted a ‘team bonding’ exercise where the staff threw tennis balls at the players as they tried to dribble with the ball and stay untouched. Even this caused a stir online amongst some supporters.
The group looks motivated, together and in great spirits. Only time will tell whether there have been any further problems associated with the fallout from the transfer window in the upcoming matches.
A tough trip to Wolves will be a great trial by fire for this side. Seventeen effective cup finals lay between now and the end of the season. Arsenal cannot afford to drop too many more points if their intentions are to return to Europe's top table.
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