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The Athletic FC PodcastOrnstein meets Aubameyang: Arteta relationship, Chelsea ‘chaos’ and more
The Athletic FC PodcastOrnstein meets Aubameyang: Arteta relationship, Chelsea ‘chaos’ and more
Ornstein meets Aubameyang: Arteta relationship, Chelsea ‘chaos’ and more
Update: 2025-01-19
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For an exclusive interview, David Ornstein sits down with former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a career marked with chaos, mistakes and glory.
So coming up you’ll hear about; why Aubameyang wanted to leave Arsenal but stayed, how his relationship with Mikel Arteta broke down, The ‘chaos’ of his time at Chelsea and his harrowing account of the break in that took place at his home.
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
Guests: David Ornstein & Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead
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first wager Welcome to the Athletic FC podcast network.
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Welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me Ayok Akimolero today we've got an exclusive
00:03:20
David Ornstein in conversation with former Arsenal striker Pierre Emeric Abamayang on
00:03:25
a career marked with chaos mistakes and glory you're here you want to come out here.
00:03:42
How bad was it at the end of the Arsenal we have made a decision because we believe that
00:03:50
he's the best thing right now to do and that's it what he said that I giving a knife on the
00:03:56
back for me this was this was not true Pierre Emeric Abamayang was the centre of a dramatic
00:04:02
deadline day sargo which ended with him joining Barcelona on a free transfer from Arsenal.
00:04:14
So coming up you'll hear about why he wanted to leave Arsenal but stayed how his relationship
00:04:38
with our tetabroc down the chaos of Chelsea and the harrowing breaking at his home that left
00:04:44
him lost okay let's bring in David Ornstein to set the scene before we go into the first
00:04:51
part of the interview we'll hear about Arsenal shortly but first of all David you met
00:04:56
him in Saudi Arabia where he currently is playing his football yes I did I owe this is
00:05:01
an opportunity I've been waiting for for a very long time years in fact of interview Pierre
00:05:06
Emeric Abamayang in the past when he played for Arsenal but never in this sort of depth
00:05:11
and it was the first sit down interview he's done since leaving European football he moved
00:05:17
from Marseille to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2024 after an incredible storied tumultuous
00:05:25
successful career at the likes of Borussia Dortmund Arsenal Barcelona Chelsea and the aforementioned
00:05:32
Marseille now playing for Al-Qaeda in the Saudi pro league and ready to reflect on everything
00:05:38
that has happened over the last sort of decade or so I flew over to Buchrain the capital
00:05:44
Manema and crossed into Saudi Arabia to the city of Kobar where Al-Qaeda are based on the
00:05:50
east coast I watched Abamayang train alongside the likes of Nacho who's also been signed by
00:05:55
this club he's loving life out there I watched him play the following night then we headed
00:06:00
back to Buchrain to do the sit down interview we were sat there for about 3 hours and we covered
00:06:05
all manner of topics turned over every stone I did push him on topics like Saudi Arabian
00:06:11
human rights on any mistakes and regrets he's had from his career Arsenal which will come
00:06:15
on to speak about later Chelsea too but where I really wanted to start was with perhaps the
00:06:21
most harrowing experience of his life and that was the violent robbery he suffered at the
00:06:29
end of his time in Barcelona before moving to Chelsea and he was kind enough to go into
00:06:37
a graphic detail and it was not pleasant listening and ultimately it's one of the main reasons
00:06:44
why he's ended up in Saudi Arabia because of the safety there he feels for him and his family
00:06:50
that's a place where they are now comfortable and want to live and they are loving life and
00:06:54
work out there and so where we'll begin this feature is with abamyang's reflections on that
00:07:03
fateful experience that occurred at his own home in Barcelona and he'll talk us through
00:07:10
it now I was playing downstairs I was playing on my games and my son the the the whole
00:07:16
one came running and he said to me yeah so guys are I to the house they so they came in from outside
00:07:24
because my wife was smoking outside with my cousin and her boyfriend and they they had a gun
00:07:33
so they they took him first and so they they came in into the house they came to me I said to my son
00:07:40
okay just just go and try to hide the sister of my wife was there as well with the little
00:07:45
one so I said as well okay just just go and try to hide and then I came up and I saw the guys
00:07:52
they were four or five I think one was with the gun so he said to me yeah just go down and I say no
00:07:58
no no just tell me what you want and we just start and say yeah just sit down sit down and I say no
00:08:04
then this is where I started to to punch this me so this is why I say I wanted to I wanted to five
00:08:11
at that moment but then one guy came went down and it took my my kids and my the sister of my wife
00:08:20
so at that point I couldn't do anything and then we went through the house and I give them
00:08:26
what they what they wanted so I could be okay and they stay for 45 minutes even a one-hour thing
00:08:33
something like that at the beginning you were downstairs playing your guy I was playing my game
00:08:36
I remember my kids coming running and I don't know why I didn't have the the reaction to say something
00:08:44
because I was with my brother into the I don't know how to say to the headphones and but I I don't
00:08:53
know I was like okay I put the headphones down and I was worried about what is going to be
00:08:57
happen upstairs so this is what I say just hide and I went upstairs so with your child that alerted
00:09:05
you to the fat that they were upstairs well and and the guy outside they had held a gun to your
00:09:13
cousin yeah and that's on the same level as you or is it different is different at least I'm
00:09:19
not up a little bit down yeah I understand yeah I understand so the cousin had and your wife had
00:09:25
presumably just froze yeah they froze and they've come in yeah my my wife was screaming I'll remember
00:09:33
because she she was screaming and this is why okay I say something is wrong so so I went up I saw in
00:09:45
the same time my my little one came with the sister of my wife yeah they came down so I saw them I
00:09:51
said just hide just I tried to hide somewhere and so I came up you jewel was broken by a punch yeah
00:09:58
exactly because he had not lost us but with with stuff yeah you know yeah so you must have been
00:10:05
in agony at the same time yeah and when you say they took the children and your wife's sister
00:10:12
yeah you mean in the house yeah kidnapped basically yeah exactly not outside the house
00:10:18
no outside the inside like hostage basically yeah and you had to walk around the house giving them
00:10:24
access to jewelry and discovery watches and watch it and a huge amount of expense as well as the
00:10:31
trauma yeah so thank you for explaining I I'm so sorry that's incredibly brave and candid of
00:10:38
you and very important context to all of this thank you the repercussions of the robbery and the
00:10:43
assault yes stuck with you at Chelsea how did it affect your self then yeah it was it was very
00:10:52
tough was very tough because after that you you have some some nightmares some nightmares you don't
00:11:01
sleep and you you think about or I should do like that at that time I should do like this like that
00:11:08
while you cannot change it but you think about it and you think about your kids and everything
00:11:14
and it's like this is the part where it's the where it's hard I think at that time I did a mistake
00:11:20
not talking to anyone because I think I should I should talk to somebody but I didn't want to speak
00:11:27
to anyone I was like I was lost to the truth I was lost for a year I was thinking about that thing
00:11:36
and and this it but as I said this is why it was good for me in the same time because I didn't play
00:11:43
so I had time for for myself to to reflect on so many things and not being focused it was a tough
00:11:52
year tough year but at the same time good because I had time to to seek about so many things did
00:12:00
them you mean like a psychologist or something like that no therapist yeah I think at that time
00:12:07
if I had someone to talk with like therapist or whatever a psychologist maybe he could help me I
00:12:14
was really struggling to sleep at night I remember I was very hard thinking always about the same thing
00:12:19
yeah I mean you hear that David and you know Obama Young it's probably not every football fan's
00:12:25
cup of tea necessarily a great goal scorer but sometimes we also forget as fans of football
00:12:31
what goes on behind the scenes what can affect the players progress on the field all we see is goals
00:12:37
all we want to see is assists and you know what he's been through a lot David he has then let's be
00:12:42
clear Obama Young is somebody that divides opinion among football supporters they look at his career
00:12:48
and show appreciation for his goals and what he's done and some people criticize him you got to take
00:12:53
as you find I've always found him to be a really engaging kind generous guy very endearing truthful
00:13:01
honest we got into great detail about his career at Arsenal there was so many headlines around
00:13:07
Obama Young so much being written and said so many goals scored but ultimately a lot rested on that
00:13:15
new contract and it was from that moment on that things started to get a little bit rocky how bad
00:13:22
was it at the end of the last know let's say it was hard because all these years in Arsenal I had good
00:13:32
times so no one was expecting an end like this so this is why it's hard but now thinking about it
00:13:42
I'm like okay you cannot change it it's like that for sure I would be better to finish I mean to
00:13:50
to hand it in a different way but it didn't happen so I cannot change the past maybe arsenal and me
00:13:58
needed to hand it like that to for them to just continue and achieve what they want to achieve
00:14:05
and me to change to change at that time and find something different maybe if I go back to your
00:14:14
time at Arsenal when things were good you were scoring goals carrying the team on your shoulders a
00:14:21
lot of the time there's some really strong memories that North London Derby and sort of established
00:14:28
yourself as the first big icon since Terry Henry and that's not easy to the extent that you earned
00:14:37
yourself the captaincy you scored the winning goals in the cup final and then you ended the
00:14:43
speculation about your contract situation and your future by signing a new deal and we'll always
00:14:50
remember the images and the live stream and it was a it was a huge day for Arsenal you were kind
00:14:57
of at the top of your world then when did it start to go wrong exactly at that time exactly at that
00:15:06
time because I remember FA Cup semifinal and we were talking in the bus with Lacca and I mean every
00:15:15
fence where I was saying okay sign the thing yeah sign the thing Lacca told me okay what you're gonna do
00:15:21
and I was like to tell you the truth man I really don't know let's see how it goes and we want
00:15:28
against City and then we won against Chelsea and I remember if I'm being honest with me and with you
00:15:37
guys at that time I wanted to go I said okay I think for me it's time to go and try to find a new
00:15:45
challenge I think I did my time it was very nice but I think it's time for me to change I just need
00:15:52
that and I feel that this is my feeling I said that to my brother as well I said that to my brother is
00:15:58
the only guy he can tell you and then all the people saying yeah sign that thing blah and we want
00:16:05
those games we want the cup and and then we had that discussion with the oteta so oteta called me
00:16:12
and he spoke to me so what are we gonna do and then he asked me some few things he said what do you
00:16:18
think about the team and everything what do you think about the staff are we working do you like it
00:16:24
blah blah blah and everything and I said yes I like it the way we are working and everything I think
00:16:31
oteta at that time bring something very different from what we used to have it was very refreshing I
00:16:38
think we didn't have the squad to go at a big level so at that time I said maybe you will you will
00:16:45
have to bring some new players for sure and he said yeah this is my ambition but what do you think
00:16:51
about it and I'm like yeah if I tell the truth I was about to live but if you talk to me like that is
00:16:58
because maybe you want me to stay and everything and I can see also the people the fans and everything
00:17:05
they want me to stay so I really don't know what to do and at that time he convinced me he
00:17:10
convinced me because he said I think you can you can leave a legacy and this is I think it was the
00:17:17
the first time I wrote this word in English and he said to me yeah you can have that legacy I think
00:17:23
you can leave it here if you stay you can be an icon like the big names you know so now and from
00:17:29
there okay I said ah maybe I started to say to change my my vision this is why I said okay maybe
00:17:36
I will stay and then him and the fans they convinced me it was a big mix and they convinced me to stay
00:17:42
but at first I wanted to live at that time and this is where it became calting because when you go
00:17:49
against your heart maybe this is where I did my mistake why did you want to leave now because
00:17:55
I did four years I think I did great at that time I said maybe it's time to live and leave it like
00:18:01
this like proper and clean so everyone will remember me as a as a good player I also know it's kind of
00:18:08
thing that you feel that if you stay something's going to go wrong and at the end is just a feeling you
00:18:16
know I really felt at that time that I need to live because I don't know I felt something is going
00:18:23
to be wrong I didn't know what's going to happen I expect me to stay till the end of my career maybe
00:18:33
because I choose to stay so then I focus on that but by that time I don't know I had that feeling
00:18:40
that I wanted to live for for something different did you have clubs lined up I think so I think
00:18:48
some few good clubs even clubs from Saudi at that time a big one big one so I had opportunities
00:18:57
at that time I wanted to live but I didn't really say to them to my father or to Quark who I didn't
00:19:06
really say to them I just say to my brother at that time I don't know I think I want to live
00:19:12
when you signed were you still feeling that a tiny bit or were you now fully in the mindset of
00:19:18
continue I was already fully focused on because I said yes okay when you say yes you you cannot have
00:19:28
that feeling otherwise yeah he goes in a different way very quickly but the underlying thing that made
00:19:38
you feel that way do you think it started to trickle through afterwards yeah I think so a little bit
00:19:45
I think so a little bit maybe a little bit and then I had a tough year obviously Covid was not
00:19:55
helping at all so it was really really tough and I remember I did a season after that everyone I
00:20:05
think was expecting me to score as always even if that year I think as for 15 goals or something
00:20:12
like that 15 goals maybe in the total of the season and they were considering this bad season
00:20:19
and I think few good players same standing as me when it's growing the same not even the same so
00:20:28
but it was like that everybody told me that I was doing a bad season because of
00:20:34
the new deal and everything and it was not true for me it was not true I think maybe that's
00:20:40
underlying I felt it progressively by staying you know and slowly slowly I was kind of
00:20:47
giving up I don't know if it was a strength feeling and at the same time then happened
00:20:52
this to my mother so it was it was really not easy to be really focused on being the best you know
00:21:01
sometimes there is so many more things important than football but maybe people don't realize
00:21:07
because they think as you are footballer football is the most important thing no that's not true
00:21:13
many people say a big player signs a new contract that they take their foot off the gas
00:21:19
I can remember many players that have had this accusation who you don't think that was the case
00:21:24
with you know because even if you ask Artheta today ask him if in training I was not giving my my best
00:21:33
you can ask him everybody can tell you I was always professional even if you can give me the okay
00:21:42
he's being laid know maybe okay but when I'm on the pitch always always always and he cannot say
00:21:51
differently because you had in 2021 so after the contract was signed the North London Derby
00:21:57
which he dropped you for when you were captain I think because you were late to the game in traffic
00:22:03
exactly and then that seemed to start a few incidents because then you had your mother being
00:22:12
unwell and the trip yes and there was the timing of the return yes and from there on so was there
00:22:20
a problem around time keeping that people in the public say he has not got the best punctuality
00:22:28
like timings yes and then later Artheta used the word himself multiple disciplinary breaches
00:22:37
was that a fair accusation or unfair I would say yes because I was late so this is a fact this is not
00:22:46
this is not something event this is this is a fact the only thing I would say about this is I think
00:22:54
he could deal it differently but he didn't so it's okay this is the way he wants to do so no problem
00:23:02
but I think we because I remember that time in the London Derby when he dropped me I really wanted to play
00:23:09
and I remember it took me in his room before the game just to explain me and I remember I had tears
00:23:17
because I really really wanted to play I didn't want to come to come late and I didn't want to hurt
00:23:24
anybody or or the team or the club it was it was tough and I remember after the game he came to my house
00:23:31
to speak because he didn't want these to be a chaos and I said to him it's going to be okay but
00:23:37
he was not after that drop in the London Derby I was I was hurt it was difficult to keep staying the
00:23:46
same he was right saying that because it's a fact but I didn't want it as I said I take my responsibility
00:23:53
obviously I was not maybe the best look at when we talk about punctuality and everything for sure
00:24:01
but I think we could do it differently but it's okay it's like this on that day do you drive to the stadium
00:24:07
or the hotel to the first we went to the to the stadium okay and then you leave the car then you
00:24:14
take the bus you go to the hotel so you were late for the bus yeah for the bus because it was an accident
00:24:22
by next to my to my home and so maybe I should start very early but you never know what's going to happen
00:24:32
so this can happen and he was very pleased because it was a big game obviously did you miss the bus
00:24:39
or no no I didn't miss you Jay they were waiting for me they were they've been waiting for me
00:24:45
and that's when he pulls you in or later and then we went to the hotel and then arriving to the
00:24:51
hotel he asked me to come in his room and this is why he told me he told me that I'm not going to play
00:24:57
in everything is he shouting or no no no he was straight then because you're the captain or anyone
00:25:04
the rules are the rules are there was all the rules and you tears in your ass yeah I remember that day
00:25:11
because I really felt hurt because I really wanted to play that game badly because I knew that this
00:25:17
is my type of game you know when we play all derby it's like you can even ask you for real yeah
00:25:24
I'm sure you remember because you remember about everything he has everything on on papers
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this is the athletic fc podcast
00:27:00
you're listening to an exclusive conversation with David Weinstein and Pierre Emmerick Obamayang
00:27:09
next up more in his time at Arsenal and how his relationship with manager Michaela
00:27:14
Tetta became strained did it start to deteriorate from there even though you met at your house
00:27:20
to try and make sure there was no mess yeah this the trust broken a little bit then yeah I think so
00:27:28
I think so because even if at that time I said okay yes let's start fresh fresh by used
00:27:38
yeah you still have it here you know because for example that year a lot of people came late for
00:27:45
any reason at training or whatever okay maybe not at the game but why doing this when it's me and now
00:27:53
so maybe because I'm the captain and everything so I understand okay but I think this is my point of
00:27:59
view maybe it's he has a different point of view but this is a bit unfair because a lot of people
00:28:05
came late before me and nothing happened they just paid their fine and that's it did you feel then
00:28:13
things were slipping away until the incident with the no then it was it was kind of okay we had to
00:28:21
play in the europe league somewhere I don't even remember where and we had misunderstood because
00:28:30
we were qualified I think already I think at that time it was kind of obvious that I will not travel
00:28:36
to play that game but we had this covid rules that you have to come yeah and before traveling you have
00:28:46
to do the test one day before and and I did I came because for me it was obvious that I will not
00:28:52
travel so I didn't need to do the test so this was a small problem at the end but it was one problem
00:29:01
in the list after that I mean when he had to do what he does I think he would put it in the list
00:29:09
and you can see on Netflix and he said yeah I have the things writing and yeah this is part of the
00:29:15
things writing and then the thing with my with my mom I remember so we went to to to have a ton
00:29:23
and we lost that game before the game he said okay you will have one day off after that if you want
00:29:28
to travel you come to me you ask me and then I will say oh yes or no and so I went to to him to
00:29:35
to explain in you because I had to go in France before this time I wanted to go to France take my
00:29:42
mom for the for Christmas and everything so I said to him okay I will travel to France he said okay
00:29:49
yes no problem and then I came back on the on the same day of training I should come back the night
00:29:55
before but I couldn't because my mom had some some stuff to do before leaving France so I traveled
00:30:01
in the morning I arrived in the in the morning on time my training and then this is where I started
00:30:09
shouting and everything at the time I didn't say anything I just he said to me yeah just go home and
00:30:15
I would yeah okay going on it's best so I don't want to make me in a basic I'm already in the best
00:30:23
situation I don't want to respond and try to shout my turn you know you mean you miss some matches
00:30:29
because that I remember it you miss some matches because your mother had been unwell it was in the
00:30:34
news that you wouldn't be available yeah it's your mother exactly did she have a stroke yeah she had a
00:30:40
stroke yeah yeah she had a stroke and so I remember I don't remember where we were playing I was
00:30:47
it was away we were playing away and I called straight away because my family called me I called
00:30:52
the coach and I asked him to to live I remember because I was with David Lewis it was with me
00:30:59
the time and he felt that I was not feeling well they left me to go over in France yeah and see her
00:31:06
and from there you know it's not easy every day by day you have to take a day by day yeah she has to
00:31:12
recover and everything and this is why I asked her that time to go to go to France and to retake her
00:31:17
and to have her with me and to make sure she she's she's doing well and yeah and she she take care of
00:31:25
of her of life yeah around the evening of you were meant to fly back and you didn't you flew back
00:31:31
in the morning is there a mistake on your part in there in terms of communication yes my mistake but
00:31:38
I didn't say that I will miss the flight because obviously I was prepared to buy my mom stuff
00:31:48
and everything and I didn't see the mistake you could still in I will come back tomorrow morning
00:31:55
I saw it like this like it's not going to be a problem if I come back tomorrow morning at the end
00:32:00
of the day I arrived I do my coffee test and hour later they know if positive or negative negative
00:32:08
okay I can train with everybody yeah done but no it was it was a problem so would you
00:32:14
meant to do the covid test the night before yes when you would have landed yeah but I did it in
00:32:20
France okay I did it in France so this is why I'm saying I was sure that it's going to be okay but
00:32:25
it was not okay so when you did it on the morning you were allowed to go
00:32:30
into the training grounds yes and you went to see him yes yeah I mean I went directly to the
00:32:39
we had the meeting with the gym everything was normal and after that he said yeah come with me
00:32:45
this is where it started the bottle what was he saying in one-on-one he said to me that I couldn't do
00:32:53
this because I was the captain and after that lose against Everton this was not acceptable and he
00:33:00
said to me that I gave him a knife in his back I don't know I don't know why he said that I was
00:33:07
really pissed about that because this was not true it was not true and he knew well why I was flying
00:33:14
if I was flying for whatever reason other than my to take my mom from France to to me okay I can
00:33:23
understand then yes maybe I go for party or whatever okay I can understand but in that case you know
00:33:29
the reason you know what is happening he knows that I'm struggling this year I was expecting from him
00:33:36
help and not killing me like this how I was I was expecting help from him and why he didn't so
00:33:44
that's it what happened after then you were training on your own basically yeah then I started
00:33:51
training by my by my own I trained a lot but yeah I'm training with our train by myself I think
00:34:02
Colas in edge I was expecting to live so he trained alone as well so we were training sometimes together
00:34:08
times alone but then he left and I wasn't alone for for a long period I was just waiting
00:34:14
an opportunity to go there was no way back there was there any conversation or apology or nothing
00:34:22
nothing and you it was it was done we had another chat after after that day we had another chat
00:34:29
when he said okay you are not the captain anymore okay you will not train with us anymore blah blah blah blah
00:34:39
do you have something to say and I just said no to the door finished from there I had nothing to say
00:34:47
because I don't have to say anything about what happened because he knows he knows the reason why I'm
00:34:54
flying and if he's just this the reason I don't understand why he did this if he's just this but I think
00:35:00
it was even different than just this flying this day I think I don't know I think maybe he said okay
00:35:08
I need someone else to be captain maybe and there wasn't a part of you that thought if I say sorry
00:35:15
through grittity even I don't believe if I say sorry I could get back in or it's not your mentality
00:35:21
no it's not about mentality it's just because I know that okay when I come late it's my fault no
00:35:31
problem I assume and I always said sorry I even said sorry the London Derby after that the day after
00:35:37
in front of everyone I said sorry to everyone of the team he remembers for sure because we had
00:35:45
meeting I stand up and I said okay guys I'm sorry for yesterday everything was okay I never want to
00:35:52
to hurt anybody I don't do it on purpose what can I do I have to say sorry for that okay yes I'm
00:36:00
sorry but in that case no I will never say sorry for what to go and take my mom from from from
00:36:08
Laval to London I will never say sorry for sure even if I came late one day after I would never say sorry
00:36:18
all you understand or not or otherwise don't give a day off don't say to people okay you can fly
00:36:24
just say no don't fly there was still time for one more drama with the with the plane to Barcelona
00:36:31
what happened there you were given permission you weren't given permission genuine confusion or
00:36:37
a bit of both I was in France because I had two days off I think they also gave me two days off
00:36:44
so I went to France then flying back to London and we were very close to the end of the transfer
00:36:51
deadline so I was flying back from France to London and I had a call with my with my father and I
00:36:58
remember I say so what's going to happen I'm gonna leave or not because I don't want to stay in the
00:37:07
cage for for six months even if it's okay it's not too long but six months without playing like
00:37:14
I was really pissed as well because of of the of the situation in Afghanistan so I was working hard
00:37:24
very hard so I just wanted to play so he said to me yeah maybe it's better if you come to see me
00:37:33
if you come to see me and and maybe from there we we see what we can do but I said okay but the
00:37:41
problem is now I'm I'm going back to to to London I had two days off I will ask to the guys there
00:37:47
if I can have one more day just to figure out what I'm gonna do for the next season I mean for the next
00:37:54
six months and so I texted the guy I was training with the physical yeah physical trainer and
00:38:03
and he said to me okay let me let me talk to the to the guys but for me no problem
00:38:10
see us the day after no problem oh yeah okay cool so I arrived in London then he said to me yeah no
00:38:17
problem you can have one more day so from there I said okay now I fly to Barcelona I go and see my
00:38:24
father and from there I will talk to them but obviously arriving to Barcelona everybody knew that
00:38:31
I was flying to Barcelona as you can track the the planes and everything and the rubles were there so
00:38:43
you had to deal with this obviously yeah in the same time I knew people will be there so I knew
00:38:55
this is gonna be big this everybody will be talking about oh but me I'm going to Barcelona I was
00:39:02
gonna happen but I wanted to to push it to tell the truth I even if I was going to see my father but I
00:39:10
knew what's gonna what's gonna happen but I just wanted to go and I just wanted to go and I had a
00:39:18
chat with Edo a few days before and he said to me what you're gonna do and I said yeah because he
00:39:27
said to me if I can help obviously I respect you and everything and if I can help in a certain way
00:39:34
are we are we try to do my best and I said to him yeah let me leave and because at that time I had
00:39:41
or you there or Barcelona and I said okay if you can help me you know that I want to go in Spain
00:39:49
this is what all I'm saying so if you can help me that's my choice so please just do it they
00:39:55
knew it that I'm gonna fly and they knew it but then it becomes just because of Netflix I mean
00:40:03
Netflix or Amazon I don't know sorry wow yeah it's just because of that they try to do a story telling
00:40:12
well they knew about it they knew about it it's just because they know it's all by if we say this
00:40:19
that it's gonna be this is good you know for for Amazon for the films so it's good so you had
00:40:28
permission to go to Barcelona to see your father yeah I had the day off so yeah exactly I couldn't
00:40:33
fly I could but then and you wanted to push it but did they call you back or they they call him back
00:40:39
they call him like because I think the problem is when I arrive in Barcelona I think maybe they
00:40:47
thought okay maybe he's flying he's flying normal so maybe people we're not recognizing it's gonna
00:40:54
be okay but I arrive with with private play with private playing and usually there there is always
00:41:01
all fans or journalists yeah and people were there and they didn't like the idea of okay there is a
00:41:09
rumor yeah yeah and you flying to that place like and nothing is is done yeah like okay we know we
00:41:18
are chatting about maybe we're gonna do the deal but the deal is not done so you cannot fly normally
00:41:23
but they gave me the day off so it was like they knew what they were doing I remember reporting on it
00:41:29
there was a moment where it was like off or yeah it was off I remember because the whole day I was
00:41:35
with my father and I remember around about 4 pm I went to sleep I said okay I'm very tired I just
00:41:45
got to sleep then I woke up it was six something like that I was doing my my stars and just watching
00:41:53
TV or and at eight or nine I was sure that it's not gonna happen because you know you have till
00:42:00
midnight then it's finished it was already eight and you have to do the medical check and everything so
00:42:08
and it was around eight thirty I think and my father come down let's go to hospital I was like
00:42:16
oh my god I did the deal crazy that's really find a way find a way to put me out of the jail
00:42:26
well that was good have you spoken to our chat just since then no no never he texted me when I left
00:42:36
he said I will not say what he said to me but he was a great message anyway
00:42:43
you as okay as I said at the end maybe it was better for us or not and for me that we separated at that time
00:42:51
how do you feel towards him and other people though I think for a long time I was not having it
00:42:57
because what he said that I giving a knife on the on the back for me this was this was not true but
00:43:05
now I don't care anymore you know you cannot stay with that negativity I think it's like this
00:43:12
it's life and I wish him the best I really I really don't care but what happened in the past like it's
00:43:20
cool we we cool no problem I didn't talk to him but if one day I see him maybe I will I will speak
00:43:28
to him and try to make you understand what was my feeling at that time because I think at that time
00:43:36
it was not the right moment to answer because of what I was enduring what I was living at that moment
00:43:44
I think it was not the right moment to answer because I think maybe it becomes a mess or I'm doing
00:43:51
something wrong so I think it's better like this but now I can explain myself I can talk to him
00:44:01
easily no problem do you feel that it tarnished your legacy at Arsenal that period and relationship
00:44:09
with the supporters a little bit yes a little bit yes because obviously some people who say
00:44:17
are doesn't matter it's over but the other ones are the manager is right doing so so obviously
00:44:25
it's like 50-50 but it's like this but I'm sure they know they know I always love the club I always
00:44:37
love the support and one of the most important thing is if I sign that deal it's because of them
00:44:43
first of all even if after I went to Chelsea but I love Arsenal they know it so what would you say to
00:44:51
the Arsenal fans who will be reading and listening to this oh I miss them because we had to good times
00:44:57
yeah I know I've not been talking so much about what happened and everything but obviously
00:45:03
I think a lot of them were without answers but they have to know that I really enjoy my time
00:45:14
with them and as I said before if I sign the thing it's because of them especially because of
00:45:21
them because they were all me every day every sicko day and they made me love the club like
00:45:28
like one of them so this is all you're listening to the Athletic FC podcast
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00:47:16
David you also spoke to Abameyang about his experiences at other clubs what did he have to say?
00:47:24
Well he was really interesting talking about Marseille where he was playing before moving to
00:47:29
Saudi Arabia Roberto Deserbie who he briefly crossed paths with prior to heading for the Middle East
00:47:35
he talks about Barcelona being the best memory of my career because in a short spell he fired them
00:47:43
to the Champions League qualification which was crucial for them at that moment and even when they
00:47:50
won the La Liga title the following season and he had only played something like seven minutes
00:47:55
before moving to Chelsea they produced t-shirts to mark the occasion and his face was on them they
00:48:01
treated him like a winner and he'll never forget that but there's also the stint at Chelsea and
00:48:08
it did not go to plan he signed for Thomas Tuchel and Thomas Tuchel left within days of Abameyang
00:48:16
arriving he talks about a feeling of being disrespected when he was left out of the Champions League
00:48:23
squad for the second half of the season having been their top scorer in the competition
00:48:27
in the first half of the season this is a relatively short period in his career that he describes
00:48:34
as chaos and being embroiled in the Chelsea mess it included him being in the bomb squad so let's
00:48:42
hear what he had to say about that I think what they did to me in Chelsea was a bit disrespectful
00:48:48
but it can happen these days football is like that so I understand that no problem this is why
00:48:55
I wanted to prove them that they were doing a mistake I mean they did a mistake you had an
00:49:00
opportunity to go to America from what I remember in the reporting at your time exactly but you chose
00:49:06
Marseille yeah so at that point as opposed to this point you wanted to continue in Europe I presume
00:49:13
to prove that point exactly yeah exactly I wanted to prove it in Europe because obviously
00:49:19
I know how people are thinking and is he still able to play in Europe and still be at the top
00:49:27
when I was in Chelsea January that guy wanted me to send me to America and I remember I said
00:49:34
no chance they wanted to send me on loan and I say no chance I will show you that what you are doing
00:49:43
now is wrong and then I want to Marseille I want to Marseille just to show them and I'm very happy I
00:49:49
did because I really show them you said disrespect it and what they did was wrong take us inside
00:49:55
than time of your career in life what on earth happened I arrived and the masterful was the head coach
00:50:04
so I was happy I was happy to be there and after just a week they psyched him
00:50:12
so it was a bit strange I was like okay I don't really understand maybe why I'm here now
00:50:20
that was like but okay it can happen you know in like it's like this so I always try to find positive
00:50:29
things even in the worst periods but you have to find some positive stuff and I was like okay let's
00:50:38
see what's coming and everything then a potter ground potter came I didn't know him personally I knew
00:50:45
he was the coach of Brighton as well and he did a good job and he came and he was very honest with me
00:50:52
and he said to me that we try to learn from each other because we don't know each other obviously
00:50:58
and it was okay it was cool at the beginning I played a few games I even scored my first goal
00:51:05
I mean in the league and also in the Champions League I have a good run of few games and after that
00:51:12
I think he decided to play with a different number nine with he played with the Havards I think he
00:51:18
wanted a more a false night he has his idea I always respected that so it was not really a problem
00:51:26
but at the same time we were not performing well and I was not playing so I was like
00:51:34
just please put me in you know you are the you as a footballer I just wanted to play and and show him
00:51:40
that I can do it boy he he decided to put me on the bench and I respect that you know he was very
00:51:47
honest with me and I had no problem at all with him and then a January came and the club put me
00:51:54
out of the list of the Champions League this is where I started to say okay this is a bit this
00:52:01
respectful because I was the guy was most goals I think in the Champions League at that time so
00:52:06
I was sure that I could help even if I'm starting on the bench no problem I can accept that because
00:52:11
I know how football is but in the same time I didn't understand because the team was not performing
00:52:16
well as well so this is why I'm saying okay this is very this respectful do not put me in the list
00:52:22
I was in the list and you don't put me in the list for the for the next six months I didn't
00:52:28
understood and and they tried to to send me along on in America so I feel pissed to tell the truth
00:52:35
I feel pissed from that point I say okay season is done for me already I just go to training to
00:52:42
to maintain the fitness but that's it but I knew that I'm not going to play and also they they
00:52:49
psyched ground potter then Lampard came and I was like okay let's see maybe we change everything
00:52:55
and and we see Lampard told me okay I need you I want to know how you feel if you are ready to play
00:53:02
again and everything and I was like yeah yeah I'm just waiting for this man you know and the first
00:53:08
game it came I was on the bench I came in I was doing okay we played at Wolfs I think the next game
00:53:17
we played city and if I'm not wrong I play city and obviously when you play against city
00:53:25
it's a tough one you know and from from there then I was on the bench always on the bench and
00:53:31
I was happy because he was he was honest with me as well at a certain point we were close to the
00:53:38
end of the season and he spoke to me and say what are you feelings you know that I cannot really
00:53:44
help you and I understood that he's not coming from from him but from upstairs that I don't have
00:53:50
to play so I said okay I will just come to training don't even put me in the list because for what
00:53:58
and and he respected that and and from there it was the ability to see them did he say that the
00:54:04
decision was coming from above or you felt it I felt it okay I felt it you know I can't really
00:54:11
help and I understood straight away it didn't add to tell me something about that he's not him or
00:54:18
but I felt it to straight away did anybody lampard potter sporting directors people above
00:54:25
ownership ever explain to you what was happening why you weren't playing or why you weren't included
00:54:31
in the list or did you ever ask them why you weren't no I'm not the type of guy who was going to go
00:54:37
and complain I don't like no it's I'm not like this yeah I just don't like to to go and ask questions
00:54:44
like why I'm not playing in everything I'll just try to keep focus on my game and if I'm not playing
00:54:51
it's because there is a reason maybe and the first thing that I have to do is look at myself what
00:54:58
I'm doing if it's right or wrong and what can I improve what can I do to be to be better to to play
00:55:06
but I understood at that time that even if I'm doing better I have no chance to play and I had
00:55:13
no explanation about that so this is why I'm saying this is a bit disrespectful did teammates say
00:55:21
anything to you no no but some players at the same situation as me yeah like Zeeish like the
00:55:29
Nizakaria yeah a few of them even I think Kuli Bali for four few moments he didn't play and I will say
00:55:36
we had good players at that time but I don't know they did the mess for me they did the mess
00:55:44
Chelsea and then they started buying a lot of players sort of players everywhere it looks like
00:55:52
not even a football dressing room but like it's more like rugby or I don't know it's a crazy
00:55:58
crazy stuff yeah it was a time of huge change yeah experimentation and yeah um so there's this like
00:56:06
it was called a bomb squad in the media anyway I think maybe LeCocque it would have formed a really
00:56:12
good fight aside or maybe eleven aside then second squad and may have been better than the first
00:56:18
well what is life in the bomb squad like it's funny you know we'll try to stay positive always and
00:56:28
this is what I like about football because sometimes we have times like this when it's difficult but
00:56:35
you find some people very very cool for example Akim Zeeish is a very very cool guy from outside he
00:56:41
looks like he is a bit mad and crazy but he has a big heart and he is a very cool guy when you know
00:56:48
him Kuli as well I train with him like for a few weeks before joining Marseille his cool guy as well so
00:56:56
he was good that at that time I was not alone I was with those guys at the end of the day we were
00:57:02
laughing every day so I was okay do you remember the day that two who were sacked I remember we went
00:57:08
to play trapezoid game in Zagreb I think it's the day after the attack yeah I mean we played the day
00:57:15
before yeah I remember that day because I don't know I didn't recognize him I was there for a few
00:57:23
days two or three days maybe and I don't know it was not the the guy I knew few years ago when I you
00:57:32
know we had the relationship very very close because he was the only guy who really understood me
00:57:39
at that time in Dortmund and yeah when I arrived in Chelsea it was like something was wrong but not
00:57:45
with me but I felt that he's not enjoying his time I was like this is very strange and we lost
00:57:52
that game obviously was peace but I felt like usually he's going to become crazy but he went off
00:57:59
I was like this is not the guy I know this is very strange and the day after it was like and from
00:58:05
there I was like okay I understand maybe he knew already or he had a feeling maybe yeah did you
00:58:13
sign for him I exactly 100% that was your motivation I was assigned for Thomas Tuchel post on
00:58:20
my studio otherwise no chance you were playing with the mask on your face at the time yeah and I
00:58:27
remember reporting on that situation that he's going to play with the mask but you were meant to be
00:58:32
out for much longer yes so did you go against doctors advice or yes I went against Dr. otherwise
00:58:41
because I just wanted to play when you arrive somewhere you just want to show straight away
00:58:47
that drive all that you you want to you want to show you know you want to play you want to play games and
00:58:53
so I think that's the best way to to come into it and I remember saying okay let's try it let's try it
00:59:00
it was the worst game of my life playing with the mask but I did it because I needed to play
00:59:06
I needed to play how do you feel towards the club and the fans now did you ever have a connection
00:59:12
or is it not never had that connection I'm being honest with you thank you no no connections at all
00:59:19
I think the supporters wanted to see the the the the whole body so when I was in Arsenal I think at that
00:59:28
time I was not ready for that and in the same time they did it gave me the the opportunity to be
00:59:36
the guy so I think I was not ready as well because of what happens in Barcelona so
00:59:43
for sure I think it was a chaos here but I think it was good for me because I think I needed the
00:59:55
break and in the same time they don't want to blame me so this is the break for me yeah you could
01:00:01
look at it like that so when you say because of the Barcelona you mean that the repercussions of
01:00:06
the robbery and the assault and you stuck with you at Chelsea yeah it was it was very tough
01:00:12
was very tough you didn't feel right the opportunities didn't come and then it's hard for the fans
01:00:19
to want to you also because they wanted to see somebody that for sure they weren't seeing so so
01:00:24
this is where we had no one not that connection I'll touch on Barcelona briefly I just find it
01:00:32
fascinating that you went there and you basically fired them to the Champions League and then
01:00:43
you were the sacrificial lamb who got used to raise money in a really difficult time for them
01:00:51
financially and it's the city where your father lives it's one of the biggest clubs in the world
01:00:57
and amazing reputation like what on earth do you feel about that period it was my best memory about
01:01:05
about my career because it was very short but very very nice very intense I had that connection
01:01:13
with the even with the fans in a small period of time and this is why I have only good memories
01:01:22
from Barcelona if I talk about football and passion and defense and everything I arrived we were
01:01:29
I think 10th in the league or 9th something like that and at the end of the season we were second this
01:01:35
was a big garage and also at that time I have so many things to prove as well
01:01:45
this has been all my entire career you know moving a point but I like it also it that's all right this is
01:01:54
this is me and I take it and but yeah it was nice time in Barcelona for for sure it was
01:02:05
completely a different football than other places I have been to because wow I enjoyed playing
01:02:14
like the quality of the players in fact or it was it's saying time of booskets
01:02:21
Frankie de Yohan those players even Patrick so many good players than ballet at that time why it
01:02:29
was crazy as well so I have only good memories about basketball
01:02:35
yeah great memories and from an also perspective always remember he's he's wonderful
01:02:43
smile as well such a wonderful celebration and a series of great haircuts as well David thank you
01:02:48
so much for your time such a great interview and you can read more of that conversation with a
01:02:53
Bamiag in full on the athletic right now thank you so much for listening
01:03:04
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