Former Arsenal Striker, Pierre -Emerick Aubameyang has stated that he regrets the circumstances that led to his leaving the North London club as he was unable to say proper goodbyes to teammates.
Aubameyang and manager, Mikel Arteta’s relationship declined after a disciplinary breach by the 32-year-old led to him being stripped of his captaincy and excluded from a number of matchday squads further signifying his exit rumours
The Gunners on Tuesday via a statement announced the termination of the Gabonese contract with the club by mutual consent.
READ ALSO: ‘We Wish Him All The Best’: Aubameyang Leaves Arsenal
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has left the club by mutual agreement,” said the statement.
“We wish Auba all the best for the next chapter in his career and thank him for his contribution to the club.”
In a farewell message on his Instagram handle, Aubameyang thanked the Arsenal fans for their warm reception
“To the Arsenal fans, Thank you for making London home for myself and my family for the past four years. We went through ups and downs together and your support meant everything to me.”
Going further he expressed his regrets at not saying proper goodbyes to his teammates.
“I have always been 100% focused and committed to doing everything I can for this club which is why leaving without a real goodbye hurts – but that is football,” he said.
“I’m sad I did not get the chance to help my teammates in the last few weeks, but I have nothing but respect for this club and truly wish all my guys and the fans all the best and many successful years in the future!”
The Gabonese striker arrived in Spain on Monday just ahead of the end of the January transfer window. But the clubs did not announce a deal before the deadline passed. His release by Arsenal makes him a free agent, able to sign outside the window.
In January, Aubameyang was part of the Gabon squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon but missed the first two games with coronavirus before being sent home after team medical staff said they had detected “cardiac lesions”.