01 February 2024 , 08:00
375
0
Two years ago on January deadline day, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a dramatic switch from Arsenal to Barcelona.
The Gabon international was allowed to leave the Gunners for free, joining the La Liga giants just over a year after he signed a whopping £350,000-a-week deal at Arsenal, which was supposed to keep him at the Emirates club for three seasons.
Aubameyang was the main man leading Arsenal's attack at the time and it was Arteta who actually championed and pushed hard to get the striker tied down at the club until 2023.
But problems started to emerge and the issues were first made public in March 2021 when Arteta dropped Aubameyang for the North London Derby, citing "disciplinary reasons".
Aubameyang got caught in traffic on his way to the game, but it wasn't the first time the striker reported late to work. The same row flared up again when Arteta was forced to drop the striker in December 2021. He reported back to Arsenal late after he was permitted to fly to France to tend to his ill mum.
Mikel Arteta's dream Arsenal line up as last-gasp January transfers are secured
The final insult for Arteta came when Aubameyang took it upon himself to fly to Barcelona before either the Catalan club or Arsenal had agreed that a transfer would materialise.
Aubameyang really wanted to join Barcelona and he made it happen, but even they were surprised when he turned up. After the striker left, some people were unhappy Arteta sold a striker without buying a new one.
Arsenal fan Piers Morgan said on TalkSPORT: "I watched the whole Amazon documentary [All or Nothing: Arsenal] and I am still not convinced about the whole Aubameyang thing. The idea that it has been good for Arsenal... that we send him for nothing to Barcelona, and he bangs in goals for fun at one of the biggest teams in the world."
"Then a few months later he signs for Chelsea for £12m plus a top player [Marcos Alonso]... we get none of that. Now he will lead the line for Chelsea. The fact he has gone back to work with Thomas Tuchel, confirms to me that Mikel Arteta is a rookie manager and did not know how to manage proper world-class talent."
Arteta went on to sign Gabriel Jesus - a perfect response to the saga in the eyes of many who enjoyed a good first season at Arsenal but he has been blighted by injuries this term. The Gunners have been linked with a move for Brentford's Ivan Toney this January but it's unlikely they'll land the forward on deadline day.