Pierre-Emmerick Aubameyang has revealed on social media the heartbreak of his decision to leave Arsenal on Monday. The 32-year-old left Arsenal after four years, after joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 for a club record fee of £60 million at the time.
“To the Arsenal fans, thank you for making London home for myself and my family for the past four years.” he wrote on Instagram.
“We went through ups and downs together and your support meant everything to me. Having the chance to win trophies and the honour of being the captain of this club is something I will forever keep in my heart.” he added.
The Gabon internasional has joined Barcelona on a permanent deal. He was pictured training with his prospective new team-mates after arriving in Spain on Monday.
“I have always been 100% focused on doing everything I can for this club which is why leaving without a real goodbye hurts – but that is football.” Aubameyang continued.
“I’m sad I did not get the chance to help my team-mates 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!” he added.
The Gunners have allowed Aubameyang to leave after stripping him of the captaincy in December over a disciplinary issue. He hasn’t played for Arsenal since December 6 and was dropped from the squad for training camp in Dubai.
“We wish Auba all the best for the next chapter of his career, and thank him for his service to the club.” Arsenal said in a statement.
Arsenal have had no transfer fee from Aubameyang, however, cutting his contract short 18 months early saved them around £25m in wages (£350,000/week) to pay for the player.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Barca president Joan Laporta said the club hope to introduce the Gabon captain this week, along with new signing Adama Traore, who has rejoined the club from Wolves on loan.
“We’re launching Adama Traore tomorrow and if things go well, we’ll also introduce Aubameyang.” Laporta said.
