'Leaving without a real goodbye hurts': Aubameyang's emotional farewell to Arsenal fans after Barcelona move

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has joined Barcelona on a free transfer on deadline day, has admitted that he was left 'hurt' and 'sad' at how he existed Arsenal. In an emotional farewell post on social media addressing fans of the North London club, the Gabonese have also thanked his supporters for making London home for himself and his family for the past four years.

Also read: Aubameyang's move to Barcelona a risk for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta? Football pundits voice concerns

After his recent brush with disciplinary issues, the 32-year-old striker was frozen out of Arsenal's first-team by manager Mikel Arteta. After agreeing to reduced wages, Aubameyang has now managed to secure an escape route to the Catalan club. The move to Camp Nou saw the termination of his contract at Emirates, bringing a glorious stint at North London to a bitter end.

"To the Arsenal fans, Thank you for making London home for myself and my family for the past four years. We went through ups and downs together, and your support meant everything to me. Having the chance to win trophies and the honour of being the captain of this club is something I will forever keep in my heart," Aubameyang penned on Instagram.

"I have always been 100% focused and committed to doing everything I can for this club which is why leaving without a real goodbye hurts - but that is football. I'm sad I did not get the chance to help my teammates in the last few weeks, but I have nothing but respect for this club and truly wish all my guys and the fans all the best and many successful years in the future! 'Love, Auba," the striker concluded.

The Gabon international became one of the top earners in the English Premier League after signing a lucrative new deal just 18 months ago, having helped the Gunners clinched their FA Cup triumph over Chelsea in 2020. However, his relationship with the Arsenal boss went sour due to his late arrival from a pre-agreed trip to France, forcing Arteta to drop the frontman entirely and stripping his captaincy band.

Arsenal's stance over Aubameyang enabled the striker to search for a new club. However, it took until the last few hours of the dramatic deadline day of the January winter transfer window for him to seal his exit. The Gabon international has already trained with Barcelona, although the LaLiga giants are bizarrely yet to officially announce Aubameyang's arrival.

Aubameyang's 350,000 pounds-a-week terms were due to expire next summer, with the remaining time estimated to be worth around 27 million pounds. Arsenal was willing to let their former captain leave for nothing due to the reported 20 million pound saving they would make in wages.

Aubameyang joined the North London club from Borrusia Dortmund in 2018 and bagged the Premier League Golden Boot in his first full season in 2018-19. The 32-year-old striker scored both goals for the Gunners in the 2020 FA Cup final win over Chelsea and scored again at Wembley as Arsenal won the FA Community Shield against Liverpool in the last season.

The striker, who was Arsenal's captain for the last two-and-a-half years, made 163 appearances, scoring 92 goals in all competitions. Aubameyang's exit means manager Mikel Arteta will end this season with just two recognised strikers in their squad - Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah.