Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang endured a miserable season at Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has confessed his move to Chelsea from Barcelona was a ‘f*****g big mistake.’
The former Arsenal captain left the Gunners in acrimonious circumstances following a breakdown in his relationship with Mikel Arteta.
A move to Barcelona appeared to have rejuvenated Aubameyang’s career but the Catalan giants were forced to sell one of their leading forwards in the summer of 2022.
The choice boiled down to parting company with Memphis Depay or Aubameyang and when Chelsea came calling for the Gabon international, who had suffered the trauma of a violent burglary during his time in Catalunia, reluctantly moved to Stamford Bridge.
At the time the move appeared to make sense given he was reuniting with Thomas Tuchel under whom he’d worked during one of the best spells of his career at Borussia Dortmund.
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Tuchel, however, was dismissed almost immediately after Aubameyang’s arrival and he subsequently failed to win the faith of the German’s successor, Graham Potter.
Appearing as a guest on the YouTube channel of former AFTV content creator Troopz, Aubameyang opened up on his ill-fated decision.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won the FA Cup during his time as Arsenal captain (Picture: Getty)
He said: ‘At that time I had a bad moment in Barcelona. I had a home break-in and Barca needed to sell a player – me or Memphis Depay – and the only thing that was on the table was Chelsea.
‘So I said ok, for my family, I will move away, even if it’s Chelsea.
‘I was thinking maybe it will be okay, Olivier Giroud went from Arsenal to Chelsea and he had no problems, but for me it was different.’
Aubameyang is currently playing for Marseille after a brief spell in Suadi Arabia with Al Qadsiah.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now playing for Marseille (Picture: Getty)
The 36-year-old is in action for his country this week as they take on Nigeria in a crucial World Cup qualifier against Nigeria.
Aubameyang will come face-to-face with one of his former Arsenal teammates, Alex Iwobi, who has spoken in the build-up to the game of his deep affection for his old skipper.
‘I was his little brother,’ said Iwobi. ‘He was taking care of me. He used to talk to me, have banter, just make sure I feel comfortable.
‘On the pitch, he always said to me,’ he said. ‘Alex, just express yourself, be you.’ He’s a very, very happy guy.
‘His aura and his charisma are just amazing. He’s always playing with a smile on his face.’
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