Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed the harsh treatment he suffered on his way to the top of the game.
The 33-year-old joined Chelsea on deadline day, marking his third club in the space of eight months. Aubameyang’s turbulent 2022 started when he completed his acrimonious Arsenal exit back in January.
The former Gunners skipper was ostracised by manager Mikel Arteta for what was described as a ‘disciplinary breach’. After his contract was terminated in north London, Aubameyang joined Barcelona, but after just a half-season at the Camp Nou, he was again deemed surplus to requirements.
That offered him the chance to return to the capital and continue a Premier League record which has seen him score 68 times in 128 appearances. But Aubameyang has admitted that his reputation took time to build and he was often dismissed as a younger player.
“I’ve been through a lot of bad moments, not injuries,” Aubameyang said. “I was okay but at the beginning of my career everyone was talking about me as a sprinter only.
“This hurts sometimes because you know where you’ve come from, you know you went through a lot of stuff and you always try your best and some people, even from your club say you’re not good at playing football.”
He then pointed to the influence of Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier, who built his confidence and helped him become the forward we see today.
“After that I changed my mind and when I arrived in Saint-Etienne, I was happy because Christophe Galtier gave me confidence and it changed everything in my career. This is where I started scoring goals.”
Aubameyang arrived at Stamford Bridge with the expectation he would be working alongside Thomas Tuchel for the second time. However, the former Borussia Dortmund boss was ruthlessly sacked less than a week after his transfer was confirmed, with Graham Potter the new man in the dugout.
“Everyone knows the relationship that I have with Thomas,” Aubameyang said after Potter’s first game in charge. “It’s obviously sad when someone leaves the club and obviously, I only saw him for a few days. But this is football and when you play football you have to adapt quickly and in some moments in the season, this can happen.
“I think he [Tuchel] was a bit frustrated and sad. Obviously, I will try to talk to him as soon as possible.”
On his new boss, he added: “I think he [Potter] is a really positive person and a great character. We will try to learn with him and to win as soon as possible. I think his ideas are very clear so I think it’s going to be easy. It takes time to adapt to each other but I think it’s going to be OK.”
The ex-Gunners star made his Chelsea debut in the Champions League, but has yet to return to the Premier League due to fixture postponements. That wait will come to an end next weekend, when the Blues head to Crystal Palace looking to kick-start their flagging campaign.
