Alexandre Lacazette’s former teammate at Arsenal, according to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, was startled to learn of his summer transfer to Chelsea.
Just seven months after leaving the Gunners for Barcelona, Aubameyang, 33, made an unexpected transfer to Stamford Bridge in September. The Gabonese international felt he had unfinished business in England and was eager to return to the Premier League.
Aubameyang revealed to BBC Sport what Lacazette said to him after joining Chelsea. After becoming fast friends at Arsenal, the two are now very close. After spending five years at the Emirates, Lacazette returned to Lyon in the summer.
After moving to Chelsea, Lacazette was the first ex-Arsenal player to message Aubameyang. He laughed and responded: “Yes,” when questioned if the message was a wish for good fortune “Nah. No! He was already dismissive when he first heard the rumors, saying, “Nah. Really?'”
It was then inquired of Aubameyang if Lacazette had used an emoji in her response. Yep, it was something like this, he jokingly said, imitating the shrugging emoji.
Despite not playing with Lacazette until his late 20s, he continued by highlighting the impact the Frenchman made on his career. He was asked, “If I had to pick one, I guess it would be Lacazette.” Yes, since he gave me a lot of support when I needed it.
Aubameyang scored 92 goals in 163 games during the course of four forgettable seasons at Arsenal. He scored 70 goals in 109 appearances throughout his first two and a half years at the Emirates. Yet in 54 games over his remaining 18 months, he only managed 22 goals.
His performance deteriorated when Mikel Arteta was still playing for Arsenal. Due of their deteriorating relationship, the manager removed the player’s captaincy and permitted him to sign with Barcelona. As a result, the club’s finances suffered greatly.
That choice left some Arsenal supporters dissatisfied because Aubameyang went on to succeed in Spain.
Throughout the rest of the 2021/22 season, he scored 11 goals in 17 La Liga matches, and he appeared to be in line to contribute significantly under manager Xavi this year.
However, the former Borussia Dortmund striker returned to London to join Arsenal’s local and top-four rivals on a two-year contract after Robert Lewandowski’s summer transfer from Bayern Munich to Barcelona – as well as Chelsea’s ambition to sign him, of course.
Aubameyang has performed admirably in his brief stint at Chelsea, tallying three goals in five games. Since Thomas Tuchel helped recruit the player, there were concerns he may struggle after being fired, but those concerns have been allayed by his recent success.
