Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that he considered leaving the club because there were ‘good opportunities’ presented to him elsewhere, but it was the change in philosophy brought in by manager Mikel Arteta that ultimately made him stay.
Before signing a new three-year deal earlier this month, Aubameyang was in the final year of his Arsenal contract. That brought up the possibility that he could leave as a free agent next summer and start formally discussing his future with prospective new clubs in January.
90min revealed shortly before the new deal was announced that Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea had all made contact with the 30-year-old. But he decided to re-commit to Arsenal instead and Arteta was key, as were Gunners fans.
“I was thinking about [leaving] to tell you the truth because I had good opportunities as well,” Aubameyang told Sky Sports.
“But this feeling to be here - the love from the fans and all the club - I'm not sure that by leaving I will receive the same love, so that's why I'm staying.”
Aubameyang, who lifted the FA Cup as Arsenal skipper at the end of last season, explained that a conversation with Arteta during lockdown about the future was instrumental in his decision to stay.
He added that Arteta’s ‘positivity’ and ‘new philosophy’ were major factors, while there was also a belief that, even at the age of 30, he could still learn from the new boss and ‘improve’.
Discussing the lockdown chat, Aubameyang recalled: “I was like, ‘I feel good since you came, I'm improving, and the philosophy is very, very nice so I just want to stay' and he was like 'I'm sure if you stay you can leave a legacy, but it's all about you and what you want. Of course, you can leave and go for trophies in big clubs as well but I think you can create a legacy here in this great club.'
“This was the key message to me and after that conversation I was like 'okay, it's all clear for me and I just want to stay' and that's it.”
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
Source : 90min