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.
Aubameyang has hit the ground running at the Camp Nou, with a stunning eight goals in his first 11 outings including a memorable brace away at Real Madrid which has quickly endeared him to the Barcelona faithful. It came as a surprise to many that the former Gunners star even joined the club given the only previous reported interest came from sides in the Middle East.
However, it has since emerged that Barcelona boss Xavi gave the deal the green light after hearing about the player's character from Arteta. The Mail report that Xavi contacted his former teammate and current Gunners manager to determine whether Aubameyang had the right attitude and work ethic.
Arteta put the personal problems between the pair to one side and urged Barcelona to make a move for the forward given at the time he was surplus to requirements at the Emirates. The fall-out between the two was confirmed by Aubameyang, who declared he had an issue with Arteta during his unveiling in Catalonia.
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"A difficult few months. I've never wanted to do anything wrong, it's in the past," said Aubameyang two months ago. Pressed on whether the conflict was between solely him and Arteta, Aubameyang said: "Yeah, I think it was just with him. I can't say much, he wasn't happy, I stayed calm and that's it."
Aubameyang is rapidly emerging as one of the main faces of Xavi's Barcelona rebuild, aiming to restore the club to its former glories after a humiliating start to the season that saw them eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage. The Gunners meanwhile, are going strong despite not replacing their ex-talisman.
Arsenal sit fourth in the Premier League table, three points ahead of nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur while having played one game more than both Spurs and Manchester United. Up next is the stern test of Crystal Palace away, with the Eagles led by Gunners legend Patrick Vieira.
