Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is opening up about one of the toughest decisions of his career — and he’s not holding back.
The former Arsenal captain has admitted that his 2022 transfer to Chelsea was a “f**** big mistake,”** saying the move came at a difficult time both personally and professionally.
Speaking with Arsenal content creator Troopz, Aubameyang explained that after leaving Arsenal amid a fallout with Mikel Arteta, his shift to Barcelona initially felt like a fresh start. But a traumatic home break-in and Barcelona’s urgent need to offload a player forced him into an unexpected decision.
“I had a bad moment in Barcelona… Barca needed to sell a player — me or Memphis Depay — and the only option on the table was Chelsea,” he said.
“So I said, ‘OK, for my family, I will move away, even if it’s Chelsea.’”
Aubameyang noted that he decided to take the deal partly because he had seen former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroudmove to Chelsea successfully, but things didn’t work out the same way for him.
“I was thinking maybe it will be OK… but for me it was different.”
The Gabonese forward reunited with former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel upon joining Chelsea — only for Tuchel to be sacked days later, further derailing the move.
Aubameyang has since reignited his form at Marseille, but he makes it clear:
his brief Chelsea spell is one chapter he wishes he could erase.
