‘I Needed Mikel Arteta’s Help at a Hard Time – He Killed my Arsenal Career Instead’
Mikel Arteta turned things around at Arsenal after taking over from Unai Emery in 2019. The Spanish boss turned the north Londoners from a floundering mid-table side into one of the finest teams in the country, regularly challenging for the Premier League title.
First on the agenda was sorting out the enormous wage bill at the Emirates while also improving the quality of the team on the pitch. In doing so, he discarded big earners such as Nicolas Pepe and Mesut Ozil, promoting the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe into the first-team.
Arteta didn’t necessarily make himself popular with all of the established stars at the club. His most infamous fallout came with the club captain at the time, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabon striker was one of the shining lights in the post-Arsene Wenger era for the Gunners after initially being brought to England by the iconic French manager. Due to his impressive goalscoring record and stature in the game, Aubameyang was also one of the top earners at the club. His journey under Arteta was a rollercoaster of ups and downs.
Arteta and Aubameyang’s Relationship Breakdown
It led to the striker’s exit from the club
After a brilliant start to life together at Arsenal – which saw Aubameyang play a vital role in Arteta’s only piece of silverware at the club to date – the pair’s relationship appeared to break down completely. The situation appeared to reach a breaking point in late 2021 when the player arrived home late from a trip to see his ill mother.
The ongoing COVID-19 precautions were cited as the reason behind his late arrival back. Speaking to The Athletic, Aubameyang stated: “My mistake. 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 (medical examinations).”
Despite his own error, the forward thought things would be ironed out smoothly before an Arteta outburst, as he continued: “I went directly to a team meeting. Everything was normal. After that, he (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****d 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.”
The 35-year-old stated he’s always apologetic when he feels he is at fault: “When I’m late, (and) 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 (his hometown in France) to London? No. Even if I came a day late, I would never say sorry. You understand or you don’t. If not, don’t give a day off or tell people they cannot fly.”
It wasn’t the first incident in which Arteta felt the need to discipline the forward, however, as Aubameyang had already been dropped for the north London derby earlier that year for showing up late. The straw that broke the camel’s back in December 2021 led to the African talisman seeing his contract terminated in January 2022 as he moved to Barcelona.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Arsenal Career
From the best striker in the league to an outcast
Aubameyang was one of the most sought-after strikers in world football in 2018 when Arsenal wrapped up a deal to sign the Borussia Dortmund ace. In Wenger’s final six months at the Emirates, he scored 10 goals in 13 Premier League appearances, including the final goal under the Frenchman.
The goalscorer’s impressive form didn’t stop there, either, as he won the Golden Boot in Unai Emery’s first season in charge. While he was firing in goals consistently, Arsenal were still a shadow of their former selves.
Emery’s tenure came to an end and Arteta’s impressive start looked like it would be the start of a wonderful partnership between the Spaniard and his leading man up front. Capable of playing in the middle and from the left flank, the goals continued to flow as he fired in two FA Cup semi-final goals before netting the winner in the final against Chelsea.
This would prove to be the high point of his time in England, as Aubameyang was seen by many as one of – if not the – best strikers in the Premier League. His bust-up with Arteta left a sour taste in the mouth, but it looked like a good move for the club to cut ties in the end.
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 07-01-25.
