Mikel Arteta has responded to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's suggestion the the Arsenal manager was the "only problem" in the breakdown of their relationship that eventually sparked the forward's exit.
The 32-year-old Gabon international joined Catalan giants Barcelona on transfer deadline day, agreeing to take a drastic pay cut from his eye-watering Arsenal contract to bring his time in north London to an end.
He left north London under acrimonious circumstances after a fall-out with his manager in early December which prompted Arteta to strip Aubameyang of the club captaincy and exile him from the first-team fold.
Pressed on whether Arteta was the sole reason behind his decision to leave Arsenal, Aubameyang pointed the finger squarely at the Spaniard.
He told reporters at his Barcelona unveiling: "I think it was only with him and then he took this decision, he wasn’t happy and that’s it. I was calm."
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Just over a week later, Arteta has responded during his media duties with the Gunners ahead of their midweek trip to Wolves.
Addressing the situation for the first time, the Spaniard's comments started nicely enough as he explained: "I'm extremely grateful for what Auba has done at the club, for his contributions since I got here.
He did however sign off with a not-so-subtle dig at the former Gunners striker, "The way I see myself in that relationship is the solution, not the problem."
The Arsenal boss was grilled for a further comment on Aubameyang's initial remarks, but simply claimed: "That's his opinion. We have to respect that."
After providing the Emirates faithful with some wonderful moments, Aubameyang tarnished his legacy with his final act at the club.
The forward was last seen in an Arsenal shirt in early December just before a disciplinary breach prompted a complete breakdown in his relationship with Arteta.
He was forced to train alone before he eventually departed for an ill-fated Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Gabon that saw him return just two weeks in, after contracting Covid-19 on the eve of the tournament.
His exit means that Arsenal are left with just two recognised strikers at the club in Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, both of whom are out of contract in the summer.
Despite this, Arteta made no signings in the January transfer window but has since explained why.
"We did what we believed was the right thing to do," he explained. "The squad composition and contracts were catching up, be fair with players who haven’t had a lot of minutes.
"We had a clear plan of what we can do but then it has to be doable. Edu and his team have done a great job.
"We are very clear we only want the best people and the best players at this club.
"When we are in a rush and the reasons to get a player on board are not the right ones we didn’t do it."
