Aubameyang reveals how Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay

During an interview with Ian Wright for Arsenal’s channel, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang revealed the serious talk he had with Arteta before signing.

After Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finally “signed da thing” with Arsenal, we got to know more details about the whole process with Mikel Arteta. The Spanish manager has been a central figure at the club over the last six months.

This is a man who completely understands the philosophy at Arsenal and which players can represent the club better. For the gaffer, Aubameyang’s signature was essential for the immediate future of the institution. But we all want to know what Mikel spoke to ‘Auba’ when it mattered, what convinced him to stay.

“I had quite a lot of time to think about it. I’ve been thinking about it since a year [ago],” said Pierre in an interview with Ian Wright.

“I also had a chat with Mikel, that I think he gave me something very clear about the idea of the future of the club and about me.

“He was straight and honest and that’s what I like because we are always honest. He said: ‘Okay, you can maybe leave. I don’t know what your mind is [thinking] right now, but you can leave and go for trophies at other clubs or you can stay here and have a legacy’.

“This, for me, was the keyword.”

He added: “We had a chat when we were in lockdown, he called me. Normally we have to speak about a game. I had to do a summary. You have to explain how the game works.

“He called me and said: ‘Forget about it’. I had prepared maybe two pages and he said: ‘Yeah, forget about it. Let’s talk about real things’.

“He said: ‘I want to be honest with you, how do you feel?’ I was like, I have to say the truth: ‘I feel very good’, it was maybe two or three months that he was here. [In] training, you can feel the passion. You can feel everything from this guy. He is so good and he’s the kind of guy who you can trust in him.

“That’s why I said to him: ‘I feel very good. What you said to me about legacy and stuff, I really think about it. I think it’s the right way and the true way to go’.”