FORMER Arsenal hitman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has claimed Mikel Arteta accused him of putting “a knife in my back”.
The striker, 34, has revealed the “crazy” situation which sparked his Gunners exit two years ago and the toxic fallout with boss Arteta.
Auba was stripped of the captaincy in December 2021 after returning late from a trip to France.
It was an authorised trip to care for his unwell mum but Covid protocols delayed him by 24 hours and he missed training.
Angry Arteta told the Gabon legend to train alone and axed him from the squad for the next game against Southampton.
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Auba claimed: “I arrive, the coach finishes his meeting, and then he grabs me and completely tears into me. He shouts at me like I’m crazy.
“He says, ‘You put a knife in my back. You can’t do that to me, given the times we’re going through’.
“At that moment, I tell myself I’m not going to answer him as it’s going to end angrily. I didn’t go partying. He knows very well the reason for my departure, so at that moment I don’t understand why he’s lecturing me.
“I go home and the doctor calls and says, ‘Tomorrow, the coach doesn’t want you there’.
“Days pass and the doctor tells me, ‘Look, he doesn’t want you with the group anymore. You will be able to come and train but separately’.
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“I say to myself OK and then he calls me and we have a meeting so he can explain to me that one, he’s taking away the captain’s armband, and two, I’m not training any more with the group.”
Aubameyang is now at French giants Marseille and revealed he would never play for Arsenal again.
It was one of many disciplinary breaches, including multiple accounts of lateness.
In March 2021, Aubameyang was left on the bench for being late to a team meeting ahead of a derby at Spurs.
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Once the January transfer window opened, Arsenal were desperate to get rid of him and he was locked in talks over a move to Barcelona.
That potential switch took a sudden turn when Auba was spotted in the Spanish city despite Arsenal not knowing he was there.
In the Gunners’ Amazon series All or Nothing, a clip showed club chief Edu being told he was in Barcelona.
Fellow director Richard Garlick asks Edu: “What is he supposed to be doing now?”, and Edu replies: “Training.”
Auba eventually got his move to Barca in February 2022 after Arsenal ripped up his contract, allowing him to sign on a free transfer.
But he revealed he suffered from mental health issues and turned to alcohol after his exit.
Auba said: “I’m sure I was depressed. There are attitudes that are seriously different from your daily life.
“For example, I started drinking a lot. It was a difficult passage. It started a little before I was fired from Arsenal.
“So yes, it was depression. I think it was related to the state of health of my parents. It affects a man — it was difficult.
“How to get out? Often we say that we have to talk about it and there’s no shame in that.”
