Former Arsenal captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took to his Instagram account on Tuesday night to officially share his goodbye message to Arsenal’s fans.
The 32-year-old Gabonese striker who was the talisman of Arsenal for close to four years before his relationship with the club collapsed in December 2021, regretted that he did not have the chance to tell the club’s fans “a real goodbye” before he joined FC Barcelona in the winter transfer window.
Recall that Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund on January 31, 2018, for a transfer fee worth €63.75 million which was Arsenal’s transfer record then.
Immediately he arrived at the Premier League club, the Gabon international became an instant hit scoring goals with ease. Within a short while, he became one of the most loved footballers at the Emirates Stadium. His effort helped Arsenal to win one FA Cup title and one Community Shield.
Due to how important he has been at Arsenal, the club agreed to extend his contract and made him the highest-paid footballer at the club. He was reportedly earning a whopping £350,000-per-week at the club before things went sour for him.
Signs that Aubameyang would have issues with Arsenal started surfacing earlier in the 2021-2022 season in which the striker struggled to score for the club.
Hence, it was easier to discard the football star when he breached some disciplinary protocols at the club in December 2021. The breach offended the club so much that he was stripped of the captaincy and was sidelined until he exited the club.
According to reports, Arsenal allowed Aubameyang to leave on mutual grounds despite still having 18 months left in his contract with the Premier League side. The remaining months in the contract were worth £350,000-per-week which Aubameyang had to sacrifice for the joy of returning to active football.
Initially, the plan was that the Gabon international would join FC Barcelona on loan but the plan collapsed because of the financial implication that came with it. With the permission of Arsenal, the 32-year-old Gabonese striker joined FC Barcelona on a free transfer after the player agreed to a huge pay cut.
In his farewell message to Arsenal’s fans via Instagram, Aubameyang wrote: “To the Arsenal fans, thank you for making London home for myself and my family for the past four years. We went through ups and downs together and your support meant everything to me.
“Having the chance to win trophies and the honor of being the captain of this club is something I will forever keep in my heart.
I have always been 100% focused and committed to doing everything I can for this club which is why leaving without a real goodbye hurts – but that is football.
“I’m aad I did not get the chance to help my teammates in the last few weeks, but I have nothing but respect for this club and truly wish all my guys and the fans all the best and many successful years in the future! Love, Auba”.
Also, Arsenal have issued a short statement to announce the exit of the Gabonese striker. The statement read: “We wish Auba all the best for the next chapter in his career and thank him for his contribution to the club.”
⚡ For the match-winning moments
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 1, 2022
🙅♂️ For the iconic celebrations
😀 For making us smile
Thank you for everything, @Auba ❤️
FC Barcelona is expected to unveil the former Arsenal captain today, February 2, alongside Wolves’ Adama Traore who re-joined the Spanish club on a 6-month loan.
