Mikel Arteta told Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang he ‘stabbed him in the back’ (Image: Getty)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang enjoyed four fruitful years at before ending things on a bitter note.
The Gabon international and had a blaring row weeks before he was shipped off to in February 2022, with the Gunners boss insisting he had been stabbed in the back. Their argument still does not sit right with Aubameyang, who claims he will never say sorry.
Having been granted special permission by the club in December 2021 to collect his unwell mother from Laval – his hometown in France – Aubameyang returned late and was given a dressing down by Arteta. The 35-year-old, who now plays for Al-Qadsiah in the , reflected on where things began to go wrong in an interview with .
“My mistake,” he said. “I should have come back the night before, but I arrived in the morning. I didn’t tell them that I would miss the flight because I was preoccupied with my mum’s stuff. I went directly to a team meeting. Everything was normal.
“After that, [Arteta] said, ‘Come with me’. This is where he started shouting. He said I could not do this because I was the captain and it was not acceptable. He said I gave him a knife in his back; I don’t know why he said that.
“I was really p***ed off because it was not true and he knew why I flew. He knew the reason and what was happening, he knew I was struggling that year. I was expecting help from him, not killing me like this.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mikel Arteta’s relationship deteriorated in 2021 (Image: Getty)
“When I’m late, it’s my fault — no problem. I always said sorry. But in this case, I’ll never say sorry. For taking my mum from Laval to London? No. Even if I came a day late, I would never say sorry.”
Aubameyang has had a whirlwind three years of ups and downs since closing the curtain on his spell with an impressive 92 goals in 163 games. The Gunners reportedly paid an eye-watering lump sum to get him off the books before he signed for Barcelona on a free transfer.
After a half-season chock-full of goals in Catalonia, Aubameyang was back in England within seven months. And the move was a sickener for the fans who previously cheered his name, as the veteran forward signed for rivals .
The move did not work out. Aubameyang did not rediscover his scoring touch until signing for Marseille, and he is still among the goals in Saudi. “People think it is a closed country with hard restrictions,” he said. “That’s the opinion over there, but when you come here, it’s totally different. The mentality is very open-minded.”