Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reveals stinging comment Mikel Arteta said to him in furious meeting that sealed his Arsenal exit

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed exactly what happened in his meeting with Mikel Arteta that ultimately led to his exit from the club.

Aubameyang left Arsenal in 2022 to sign with Barcelona before returning to the Premier League with Chelsea the following season.

The drama that saw Aubameyang leave The Emirates was documented in the hit Amazon documentary 'All or Nothing', but the former Arsenal striker believes the documentary didn't paint the full picture.

In a new interview with The Athletic, Aubameyang has told his side of the story, and explained in detail the reasoning for his original banishment involving his unwell mother.

Aubameyang admitted it was a mistake to return late, but argued the treatment he got on his return was too far given the club were aware of his mother's situation.

“[It was] My mistake. I should have come back the night before, but I arrived in the morning," he told David Ornstein.

"I didn’t tell them that I would miss the flight because I was preoccupied with my mum’s stuff (medical examinations).

“I went directly to a team meeting. Everything was normal. After that, he (Arteta) said, ‘Come with me’. This is where he started shouting," he continued.

Aubameyang then recalled his meeting with Arteta that saw him lose the captaincy, which was the catalyst for the end of his time at Arsenal.

"He said I could not do this because I was the captain and it was not acceptable," he explained.

Aubameyang celebrating for Al Qadsiah- Getty

“He said I gave him a knife in his back; I don’t know why he said that. I was really p**sed off because it was not true and he knew why I flew.

"He knew the reason and what was happening, he knew I was struggling that year. I was expecting help from him, not killing me like this.”

After a relatively successful spell in France with Marseille, The Gabon international now plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah, where he has scored six goals in in 12 games.

Speaking on the move to the Middle East, Aubameyang has explained life is very different to how many would expect.

“People think it is a closed country with hard restrictions,” he says.

“That’s the opinion over there (in the West), but when you come here, it’s totally different. The mentality is very open-minded.”