KEY POINTS

  • Chelsea signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 2022 summer window
  • The Gabon striker has moved to London on a two-year contract
  • Aubameyang previously had a fine run in the Premier League with Arsenal

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has opened up about some "bad moments" he went through at one of his former clubs.

Aubameyang had a controversial exit from Arsenal in January after his fallout with boss Mikel Arteta, which also saw him get stripped of the captaincy. A then-free agent, Aubameyang joined FC Barcelona and helped Xavi Hernandez's side secure the Champions League for the next campaign.

The 33-year-old striker finished the 2021-22 season as Barcelona's joint-fastest scorer with 13 goals, along with Memphis Day. However, the Catalan club's financial difficulty — on top of Robert Lewandowski's arrival — pressed them to cash in on Aubameyang just six months after he arrived.

As a result, the Gabonese forward returned to England as he signed a two-year contract with Chelsea.

Speaking to Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana on the Blues' YouTube channel, Aubameyang talked about some of the lowest moments of his career.

"I've been through a lot of bad moments, not injuries. I was okay but at the beginning of my career, everyone was talking about me as a sprinter only. This hurts sometimes because you know where you've come from, you know you went through a lot of stuff and you always try your best and some people, even from your club say you're not good at playing football," Aubameyang said, according to Football365.

Just ahead of his move to Stamford Bridge, Aubameyang was robbed and assaulted by a gang of armed assailants in Barcelona. Aubameyang and his wife were handcuffed and tied up during the incident as the robbers took away expensive jewelry and other items from a safe located in the house.

The assault resulted in Aubameyang having a broken jaw that delayed his debut with Chelsea. So far, the Gabon national has made just two appearances for the Stanford Bridge side: one in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang previously played for Arsenal in the Premier League Getty Images | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal

The former Arsenal skipper has a fine record in England, where he had scored 92 goals and 21 assists for the Gunners in all competitions during his four-and-a-half-season stay in North London. The striker has also previously represented the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Saint-Etienne and AC Milan, as well as loan spells with Monaco, Lille and Dijon.