Gabriel confirms Aubameyang left Arsenal because of rift with coaching staff

Arsenal defender Gabriel has confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the club because of a rift with the coaching staff, while adding that the players wanted him to stay.

The striker joined Barcelona at the start of February after leaving the Emirates Stadium by mutual consent the day before.

Aubameyang, 32, had not played for the Gunners since December 6, with Mikel Arteta stripping him of the captaincy later in the month.

There were rumours of a bust-up between Arteta and Aubameyang and Gabriel has now appeared to confirm that this was the case.

'Aubameyang is in my heart, we all wanted him at Arsenal,' the Brazilian told the Oh My Goal YouTube channel.

'It's something that happened between him and the coaching staff, the other players weren't in it.

'I said goodbye to him before he left, I hope he enjoys Barcelona, he is a very nice person with a big heart and I love him very much.'

Aubameyang scored 92 goals in 163 appearances for Arsenal, but his time at the club was also chequered with disciplinary breaches.

The Gabonese international was 'reminded of his responsibilities' by the club for breaching COVID-19 regulations to get a tattoo, while he reported late to the squad on multiple occasions.

Aubameyang made his mark at Barcelona last weekend as he scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Valencia in La Liga.

He added to that on Thursday night as he found the net in the 4-2 victory over Napoli in the Europa League.