Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has labelled his 2022 move to Chelsea a ‘f****** big mistake’ and shed light on the circumstances which took him to Stamford Bridge for a potential reunion with former head coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Gabon international had spent a significant portion of his career at the Blues’ London rivals Arsenal, after moving to the Gunners in 2018 from Borussia Dortmund.
However, a well-publicised fall-out with manager Mikel Arteta had soured his final period at the Emirates, prompting a January move to Barcelona four years later.
Premier League fans were then somewhat surprised to see Aubameyang return to the English top flight mere months after his move, which would ostensibly see him re-connect with his former manager at Dortmund, then-Chelsea boss Tuchel.
But within days of Aubameyang’s arrival in west London, Tuchel was sacked by the club and replaced by Graham Potter – who oversaw the bulk of Aubameyang’s uneasy time at Stamford Bridge toiling for his old club’s derby rivals.
‘That was a big mistake going there,’ Aubameyang told Arsenal content creator Troopz. ‘It was a f****** big mistake.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has dubbed his decision to move to Chelsea a ‘f****** mistake’
The Arsenal icon did not find the move across London as easy as some of his predecessors
‘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.”
‘I was thinking maybe it will be OK, Olivier Giroud went from Arsenal to Chelsea and he had no problems, but for me it was different.’
Aubameyang’s torrid season at Chelsea coincided with the 2020-21 Champions League winners’ dramatic fall from grace as they grappled with new ownership ground BlueCo in the wake of Roman Abramovich’s sale of the club.
The 36-year-old arrived in west London as the last of a raft of new summer signings as the new owners looked to hit the ground running in the transfer market on the heels of their May 2022 purchase of the club, including Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Wesley Fofana.
But the former Arsenal star failed to emulate France international Giroud with his move across London, netting just three goals in his 21 appearances across all competitions.
As the forward mentioned in his podcast appearance, his start at Chelsea came just weeks after he was the victim of a violent break-in at his home in Castelldefels.
Aubameyang was forced to start the season wearing a protective mask, after four intruders broke into his property and threatened him and his wife with a gun.
The 36-year-old was forced to start the season wearing a protective mask after being beaten up by intruders in a home invasion
The burglars beat up Aubemeyang, breaking his jaw with a glove packed with metal, before stealing jewellery, watches, and a white Audi A3.
In January, Aubameyang opened up on the lasting psychological trauma he and his family have suffered in the wake of the attack, sharing he continued to feel ‘lost’ for some time after the incident.
‘I was always thinking about this,’ Aubameyang said. I did so many nights like this: not sleeping at all, just thinking about that s***.
‘You have some nightmares. I’m a guy who, if I’m not sleeping well, I’m not going to give (a football team) what you expect from me, I’m not going to be at my best.
‘Every time the kids are alone, they are scared,’
Aubameyang quickly moved on at the end of the challenging season, settling at Marseille – where he continues to play, after serving a brief season-long stint at Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah in 2024-25.
