Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed how former Arsenal team-mate Alexandre Lacazette reacted to his transfer move to Stamford Bridge.
Ex-Arsenal skipper Aubameyang joined Chelsea in a £10million deal from Barcelona on last summer’s transfer deadline day.
Aubameyang scored 13 goals in 24 games for Barca after leaving Arsenal in February but was sold due to the Spanish club’s dire financial situation.
The Gabon striker said he had ‘unfinished business’ in the Premier League after leaving the Emirates under a cloud.
Aubameyang scored 92 goals in 163 appearances for the Gunners but was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by Mikel Arteta before they sanctioned his exit.
Lacazette was one of Aubameyang’s closest friends at the Emirates and was shocked to see his former team-mate join Arsenal rivals Chelsea.
Aubameyang has revealed Lacazette was the first Arsenal player that spoke to him about his move to Stamford Bridge.
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Asked whether the message was to wish him good luck in west London, Aubameyang replied: ‘Nah, no!
‘Even before when he just heard about the rumours, he was like, “what, nah, really?!”
Aubameyang also named Lacazette as one of the biggest ‘influences’ during his career, while speaking to BBC’s MOTDx: ‘If I have to choose one, I think it’s Lacazette for sure. In some bad times he helped me a lot.’
Since joining Chelsea, Aubameyang has scored three goals in five ganes, helping Graham Potter’s side climb into the top-four places and take control of their UEFA Champions League group.
The striker has come in for huge criticism though after slamming Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s management of ‘big players’ after his departure from the Emirates.
When sked about the nature of his Arsenal exit in a video with A Jewellers, Aubameyang said: ‘I remember they [Barcelona] first called my father.
‘We knew the coach, Xavi, then he called me and said there is an opportunity because you have those problems with Arsenal, but if you come you will help us a lot, so I said, ‘okay’.
‘But to manage big characters or big players, he [Arteta] can’t deal with it. He [Arteta] needs some young players, they don’t say anything, they listen.’
