Arsenal are gearing up for an interesting UEFA Europa League tie and while the manager's focus will solely be on that fixture, Mikel Arteta was asked for his thoughts on some recent remarks made by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabonese star was once an Emirates Stadium player not too long ago and was the Gunners captain before falling out with the Spanish manager. The striker was subsequently stripped of the armband and was shipped off to Barcelona due to a disciplinary breach, a decision Arteta and the club stand by to this day.
Aubameyang, who enjoyed a great spell at the Camp Nou before returning to England to join London rivals Chelsea, had remained tight-lipped on the fallout for the most part. However, a recent video has surfaced in which the Gabonese star reveals his unapologetic thoughts on Mikel.
The 33-year-old can be seen on video slamming the Spaniard's man-management skills, accusing him of being unable to handle big characters in the dressing room. The former Dortmund ace goes a step further, arguing that the Arsenal boss needs only young, impressionable players who do as he says and never step out of line.
"Big characters and big players...he (Arteta) can't deal with it," Aubameyang said.
"He needs some young players who don't say anything. They listen."
Aubameyang on Arteta: "Big characters and big players...he can't deal with it. He needs some young players who don't say anything."
— Arsenal Harmony (@ArsenalHarmoni) October 9, 2022
This is really low from @Auba. As soon as he wants out he'll create problems in the locker room and blame it on someome else. pic.twitter.com/eIflZHewis
This statement sparked anger from the Arsenal fan base and with Arteta speaking to the media ahead of their UEFA Europa League showdown against Bodo/Glimt, the Spaniard was given the opportunity to respond to his former player.
And respond, he did. However, Mikel refused to be drawn into a war of words with the Chelsea forward. Instead, the highly-rated manager simply highlighted the quality of the current Emirates Stadium dressing room.
"People are free to discuss what they want," Arteta said, as per the Sun.
"I have never been in a better dressing room (than this season) - more enjoyable, more hard-working, a better relationship between staff and players and it is an absolute pleasure as a coach to be a part of this group."
It should be noted that Aubameyang addressed the clip in a public statement, taking to Twitter to reveal that the video was recorded upon his move to Barcelona when his emotions were still high.
Aware there is a video out that was recorded just after I arrived at Barca. 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, just not on November 6 Now full focus on tomorrow
— AUBA (@Auba) October 10, 2022
Arsenal are currently in amazing form, both domestically and in Europe. The Gunners are top of the table in the Premier League, winning all but one of their opening nine games, while Xhaka and Co. occupy the top spot in the UEFA Europa League with two wins out of two.
However, Thursday's trip to Bodo/Glimt should be tricky as Arteta's men look to strengthen their grip on a knockout stage ticket. Aubameyang's Chelsea, on the other hand, are leading their UEFA Champions League group but are fourth in the English top-flight.
