Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admits his Arsenal exile was ‘difficult’, but says his move to Barcelona represents ‘a chance of a lifetime’.
Aubameyang signed for Barcelona on a free transfer this week after cancelling his contract with Arsenal by mutual consent, having not featured for the Gunners since being stripped of the club captaincy last month.
The 32-year-old scored 92 goals in 163 games for the North London side and captained the club to FA Cup success in 2020, but a disciplinary breach saw Mikel Arteta decided to part with the forward.
Aubameyang has now opened up on his exile at the Emirates and described his period on the sidelines as ‘difficult’.
“Those were difficult months and I think that this is football sometimes,” he said at his Barcelona unveiling.
“If I have to say something on this subject I say that I have never wanted to do anything wrong. This is in the past and I want to think about the present”.
The Gabon international failed to disclose the details of his fall-out with Arteta at Arsenal, though suggested the blame for his acrimonious exit should be placed with the Spaniard.
“It was just a problem with him and then he made the decision. I can’t tell you much. I wasn’t happy and that’s it. I was very calm and that’s it.”
Aubameyang took the decision to fly to Barcelona before a deal had been agreed in a bid to force through the move and has outlined what he believes he can now bring to the Catalan side.
“I score goals and I’m fast. I hope to help the team with my goals. I want to score a lot of goals for Barça.”
“I haven’t played for a long time, but everything is very clear in my head. I’m ready to play and help. I know we’re going to get back to the top little by little.”
The says he will be realising a ‘dream’ to play in La Liga and believes the opportunity to sign for Barcelona represents the ‘chance of a lifetime’.
“I’ve always had the dream of playing in La Liga. It’s an incredible opportunity for me. This is the chance of a lifetime. Everyone knows that Barça is one of the best clubs in the world. I’m very happy.”
