Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is relishing the start of the new season at Barcelona as he returns to Champions League action nearly five years on from his last appearance in the competition.
The striker, 32, joined the Catalan giants on a free transfer from Arsenal in January after a fall from grace at the Emirates. He made an instant impact at the Nou Camp, scoring 11 goals in 17 La Liga appearances to help Barca finish second in the table.
They my have ended up 13 points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid, but Xavi's side were pleased to recover from a torrid start to the season under Ronald Koeman and secure Champions League qualification. Aubameyang is particularly delighted to be back playing at Europe's top table as he has not featured in the competition since December 2017, when he was a Borussia Dortmund player.
The Gabon international joined the Gunners the following month and his only appearances on the continent during four years on their books came in the Europa League. Barca, meanwhile, dropped to the secondary competition last season after failing to make it out of the Champions League group stage, but Aubameyang insists they are back on the right track as he looks forward to returning to the elite tournament.
"I look forward to the new season because we have a lot of talent and we are going to enjoy it," he said, per Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo. Aubameyang added: "I know it wasn't easy but in the end we're in the Champions League and that's the most important thing. I've given the maximum I could give this year."
He also briefly addressed Barca's well-documented financial issues, with the club's debt totalling over £1billion. "It is an issue that the club has to solve," the former St-Etienne star said. "It is not easy, but I have always said that Barca will return."
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While Barcelona are on an upward trajectory, there were clear signs of progress at Arsenal last season, even if they missed out on Champions League qualification to local rivals Tottenham. Having finished eighth during a dismal 2020/21 campaign, Mikel Arteta led the Gunners to a fifth-place finish, picking up eight more points on the way.
The Spaniard will be desperate to break into the top four next season but knows he will need to be backed in the transfer market to do so. Arsenal completed their first piece of summer recruitment on Monday as they signed Marquinhos from Sao Paulo, while they are expected to pursue a marquee centre-forward acquisition.
