Former Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has jokingly suggested that he is the missing piece in Mikel Arteta's quest for Premier League glory.
The Gabon international, who scored 92 goals in 163 appearances for the Gunners and served as club captain, left the Emirates on a bitter note after multiple disciplinary issues, that led to Arteta stripping him of his captaincy.
After a brief stint at Barcelona and an unsuccessful spell with Chelsea, Aubameyang now plies his trade in the Saudi Pro League with Al Qadsiah. In a recent interview with The Athletic, he claimed that Arsenal were "missing something" this season, particularly a "goalscoring machine".
When asked who they were missing, he cheekily responded: "Me."
Despite their efforts, Arsenal have struggled to keep up with Liverpool in the title race, trailing by six points and having played one game more. Their campaign has been hampered by injuries and was further derailed following a 1-1 draw against Brighton in their last match.
Reflecting on his tumultuous exit from Arsenal, 35-year-old Aubameyang has opened up on his falling out with Arteta, following another disciplinary breach in December 2021, which saw him report back late to the club after lookng after his unwell mother.
Aubameyang admitted: "My mistake. I should have come back the night before, but I arrived in the morning. I didn’t tell them that I would miss the flight because I was preoccupied with my mum’s stuff (medical examinations)."
The situation then escalated as the striker claimed that Arteta shouted at him and accused him of putting a 'knife in his back': "I went directly to a team meeting. Everything was normal. After that, he (Arteta) said, 'Come with me'. This is where he started shouting. He said I could not do this because I was the captain and it was not acceptable.
"He said I gave him a knife in his back; I don't know why he said that. I was really p****d off because it was not true and he knew why I flew. He knew the reason and what was happening, he knew I was struggling that year. I was expecting help from him, not killing me like this."
When pressed on whether he owed an apology, Aubameyang stood firm: "When I'm late, (and) it's my fault - no problem. I always said sorry. But in this case, I'll never say sorry. For taking my mum from Laval (his hometown in France) to London? No. Even if I came a day late, I would never say sorry."
