Mikel Arteta reportedly vouched for former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez enquired about his character before the 32-year-old's switch to the Camp Nou in January.
The Gabon international left the Gunners in acrimonious circumstances having fallen out with Arteta at the start of December, with Aubameyang's last game in an Arsenal shirt coming on December 6 before he was exiled from the first-team fold entirely. The striker was stripped of the club captaincy in rather public fashion, with Arteta citing a "disciplinary breach" as the reason behind the decision.
Late on in the January transfer window, Aubameyang's Arsenal contract was terminated by mutual consent and the forward was free to light up La Liga with the Blaugrana. It is thought that Arteta viewed his former captain as having no way back into the team given he expects full commitment from every member.
