Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has clarified his comments on Mikel Arteta after a video showed him criticising the Arsenal manager, saying he had “a lot of bad feelings” for the north London club at the time but wishes them well now.
The video, which was leaked on social media, showed Aubameyang saying “Big characters and big players… he can’t deal with it. He needs some young players who don’t say anything” as the former Gabon international spoke about Arteta.
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On Monday Aubameyang said the video was recorded just after he arrived at Barcelona, whom he joined in February on a free transfer after terminating his contract with Arsenal.
“At the time I still had a lot of bad feelings in me — Arsenal are doing great things this season and I wish all my old guys well,” Aubameyang, who signed for Chelsea in September, said in a post on Twitter.
“Just not on November 6,” he added, referring to Chelsea’s Premier League derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
Aubameyang fell out with Arteta last season over disciplinary issues as he was first stripped of the Arsenal captaincy before having his contract terminated.
The 33-year-old has scored once in the Premier League for Chelsea, who are fourth in the table with16 points after eight games.
