Arsenal boss Arteta breaks silence on Aubameyang's exit; says decision was collective

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hit back at Pierre Emerick Aubameyang's suggestion that he was the problem after the striker left the club to join Barcelona.

Days after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suggested that he was the problem after the striker left Arsenal to join Barcelona, the north London club's manager Mikel Arteta finally broke his silence. After being stripped of his captaincy in December following a disciplinary breach, the Gabon international left for Camp Nou on Deadline Day of the January 2022 transfer window.

While addressing the media during the official unveiling as a Barcelona player last week, Aubameyang said that a problem with Arteta led to his exit from Arsenal. "I think it was a problem just with him [Arteta]. I can't tell you much. He wasn't happy, and that was it. I can't say anything else because that's what happened. I wasn't very happy, and I'm better this way," the striker started.

Hitting back at the Gabonese, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said, "It's his opinion. That's his opinion, that is what he said, and you have to respect that."

"I am grateful for what Auba has done at the club and his contribution since I have been here. The way I see myself in that relationship is the solution, not the problem," the Spaniard added while addressing the media ahead of Thursday's trip to Wolves.

Stating that the club's relationship with Aubameyang ended up in the best possible way for everybody, Arteta added, "I think when things change, the context changes, and this is part of football. What we did yesterday or a month ago is not relevant; it's about what we do today and what we will do in the future. You have to make decisions. We all decided that the best thing was to move on, and now he plays for Barcelona."

"We had different meetings, and the decision was taken collectively between the player, the club and agent," Arteta remarked.

Aubameyang's exit has added more worries for Arsenal as the club will now finish the season with just two recognised strikers in his squad. However, Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette will be out of contract in the summer. However, Arteta dismissed these worries saying that the pair can deliver the goals for Arsenal and insisted that he trusts all his players.

Meanwhile, reflecting on how Arsenal will cope for the rest of the season after failing to sign a striker in the January transfer window, Arteta said that Aubameyang's trajectory at Emirates and the importance of his goals is unquestionable. "But we have other players, and we believe we have other qualities in different ways to try and accomplish the number of goals we need in the team. That is what we are going to try and do," the Spaniard asserted.

"We did what we believe is the right thing to do with players who had to leave, contract situations were catching up in those situations, and we had to be fair. We had a clear plan of what we could do, and then it had to be doable. But we are very clear; we only want the best players and the best people at this club. We decided not to rush," Arteta concluded.

Arsenal is sixth in the league on 36 points after 21 matches, two points ahead of eighth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, whom it faces on Thursday.