Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has candidly admitted that his switch from Barcelona to Chelsea in 2022 was a “f*****g big mistake,” reflecting on one of the most turbulent periods of his illustrious career. The 36-year-old striker, now playing for Marseille, opened up about the controversial transfer in a recent interview with Canal Plus, explaining the difficult circumstances that led him to join the London rivals of his former club Arsenal.
The Circumstances Behind the Chelsea Transfer
Aubameyang’s move to Chelsea in September 2022 came during an extremely challenging period in his personal and professional life. The Gabon international had joined Barcelona just months earlier in February 2022 after a contentious departure from Arsenal, where he had been stripped of the club captaincy following disciplinary issues. His time at Barcelona started promisingly, with the striker scoring 11 goals in 17 La Liga appearances during the second half of the 2021-22 season.
However, tragedy struck in August 2022 when armed robbers broke into Aubameyang’s home in Castelldefels near Barcelona. The intruders threatened him and his family with firearms, physically assaulted both Aubameyang and his wife, and forced them to open a safe to steal jewelry. The traumatic incident left lasting psychological scars on his family, with his children expressing fear about attending school and his youngest unable to sleep alone for a year.
“At that time I had a bad moment in Barcelona. I had a home break-in and Barca needed to sell a player — me or Memphis Depay — and the only thing that was on the table was Chelsea. So I said OK, for my family, I will move away, even if it’s Chelsea,” Aubameyang explained.
Barcelona, facing financial constraints and needing to balance their books, agreed to sell Aubameyang to Chelsea for €12 million in a deal that also saw Marcos Alonso move in the opposite direction.
Hopes Dashed at Stamford Bridge
When Aubameyang signed his two-year contract with Chelsea, he hoped the move would mirror the success of another Arsenal player who had crossed the London divide. “I was thinking maybe it will be okay, Olivier Giroud went from Arsenal to Chelsea and he had no problems, but for me it was different,” the striker revealed.
Olivier Giroud had indeed enjoyed a successful spell at Chelsea after leaving Arsenal in January 2018 for approximately £18 million. The French striker won the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge, validating his decision to move across London.
Unfortunately for Aubameyang, his Chelsea experience proved dramatically different. The striker managed just one goal in 15 Premier League appearances during the 2022-23 season, though he did score twice in six Champions League matches. His overall performance was lackluster, and he was rated just 2 out of 10 for the season by some outlets.
Chelsea’s massive summer spending spree in 2022, which totaled £278.4 million including signings like Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, and Raheem Sterling, added pressure to deliver results. However, Aubameyang struggled to find his form under manager Thomas Tuchel, who had previously worked with him successfully at Borussia Dortmund where the striker scored 56 Bundesliga goals in 63 appearances across two campaigns.
By July 2023, less than a year after joining, Aubameyang left Chelsea to rejoin Marseille on a free transfer.
Arsenal Career and Disciplinary Issues
To understand the magnitude of Aubameyang’s regret about Chelsea, it’s important to revisit his successful but ultimately troubled time at Arsenal. The striker joined the Gunners from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 for a club-record £60 million fee. He immediately made an impact, scoring 10 goals in just 12 Premier League starts in his first half-season.
Over his Arsenal career, Aubameyang scored an impressive 92 goals in 163 appearances, including 68 goals in 128 Premier League matches. He shared the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018-19 with 22 goals alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané. The striker also became the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League goals for Arsenal in the modern era, achieving the feat in just 79 league appearances.
His finest moment in an Arsenal shirt came in the 2020 FA Cup final, where he scored twice including the winner as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley, becoming the first African captain to lift the FA Cup.
However, Aubameyang’s relationship with manager Mikel Arteta deteriorated during the 2021-22 season. The striker was dropped for Arsenal’s North London derby against Tottenham in March 2021 after arriving late to the Emirates Stadium. In December 2021, after returning late from an authorized trip to France to visit his mother, Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy following what the club described as his “latest disciplinary breach”.
“Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection,” Arsenal’s statement read. Aubameyang had a history of disciplinary issues dating back to his Borussia Dortmund days, including suspensions for missing team meetings and unauthorized trips.
After being frozen out by Arteta, Aubameyang agreed to terminate his contract with Arsenal and joined Barcelona on a free transfer in February 2022.
The Arsenal-Chelsea Rivalry Context
The transfer between Arsenal and Chelsea carries particular significance given the intense rivalry between the two London clubs. Since their first meeting in November 1907, the two sides have faced each other 211 times across all competitions. Arsenal leads the historical head-to-head with 84 wins to Chelsea’s 66, with 61 draws.
However, Chelsea has closed the gap significantly in the Premier League era, particularly during the 2000s following Roman Abramovich’s investment. The rivalry has been intensified by several controversial transfers between the clubs, most notably Ashley Cole’s move from Arsenal to Chelsea in 2006.
Despite the rivalry, several players have successfully moved between the two clubs in recent years. Besides Giroud’s successful switch in 2018, players like Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Jorginho, David Luiz, Willian, Petr Cech, and Cesc Fabregas have all represented both London clubs.
Life After Chelsea
Following his disappointing Chelsea spell, Aubameyang rebuilt his career at Marseille. After rejoining the French club in July 2023, he enjoyed a productive 2023-24 season, scoring 29 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions. The striker briefly played for Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah in mid-2024 before returning to Marseille for the current 2025-26 season.
In the current campaign, Aubameyang has scored four goals in nine appearances for Marseille, including contributions in Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League. At 36 years old, he continues to demonstrate the pace and finishing ability that made him one of Europe’s most feared strikers during his prime years.
Lessons From a Failed Transfer
Aubameyang’s admission about his Chelsea move highlights how personal circumstances and financial pressures can force players into decisions that don’t align with their career aspirations. The combination of the traumatic home invasion, Barcelona’s need to sell for financial reasons, and limited transfer options created a perfect storm that pushed Aubameyang into a move he clearly wasn’t comfortable making.
His comments comparing his experience to Giroud’s successful transition underscore how individual circumstances and team dynamics can dramatically affect a player’s performance, even when moving between the same clubs. While Giroud found his niche as a reliable option in Chelsea’s rotation, Aubameyang struggled to recapture the form that had made him one of the Premier League’s most prolific goalscorers at Arsenal.
The striker has also acknowledged that he didn’t seek professional help to deal with the psychological trauma from the robbery, stating: “I made a mistake by not seeking professional help. If I had a therapist or psychologist, maybe I could have dealt with it better. But at that time, I didn’t want to do anything, I was lost”.
Improving Relations With Arsenal Fans
Interestingly, Aubameyang’s frank admission about regretting the Chelsea move may have improved his standing with Arsenal supporters. Despite the acrimonious end to his Arsenal career, many fans still remember his prolific goalscoring and match-winning performances during his peak years at the Emirates Stadium.
His candid acknowledgment that joining Chelsea was a mistake demonstrates a level of self-awareness and humility that could help repair his legacy at Arsenal. While his departure was controversial, Aubameyang’s willingness to publicly express regret about joining their London rivals may resonate positively with the Arsenal fanbase.
Conclusion
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s career trajectory serves as a cautionary tale about how quickly circumstances can change in professional football. From being Arsenal’s captain and leading goalscorer to being stripped of the armband and frozen out, then enduring a traumatic robbery in Barcelona before making a regrettable move to Chelsea, the striker experienced a dramatic fall from grace in just over a year.
Now approaching the twilight of his career at Marseille, Aubameyang’s honest reflection on his mistakes offers valuable perspective on the human side of football transfers. His admission that the Chelsea move was a “f*****g big mistake” not only provides closure on that difficult chapter but also reminds us that players are people who sometimes make decisions they later regret under extraordinary pressure.
