Former Dortmund Coach Peter Stöger Reveals How Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Forced Arsenal Move
Former Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Stöger has revealed he had to suspend Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang twice for disciplinary issues as the Gabon captain tried to force a move to the Gunners.
Stöger served as Borussia Dortmund's head coach from December 2017 until the end of the 2017/18 season. Stöger only had a month to work with Aubameyang before the Gabon star's €64m transfer to the Emirates in January 2018.
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Stöger told Sport Bild: "He left me no other choice. He trained well four days of the week. But to underline his wish for a transfer, he skipped team meetings before games or refused to run during the final training. We did our best to keep him for at least another half a year, but Auba wasn't ready for that."
Despite their confrontations, Stöger says he isn’t on bad terms with Aubameyang. He added: "Honestly, I got along well with him although he kept me pretty busy for four weeks.
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"But Auba personally apologised to me before joining Arsenal. He told me that his behaviour had nothing to do with my person and that he had felt my support."
Aubameyang has gone from strength to strength during his time with the Gunners. He has sparked a deadly partnership with fellow Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, who have lead Arsenal's return to form under new boss Unai Emery.
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The pair have scored 14 goals between them this season, Aubameyang himself scoring nine goals in just 12 games, with Arsenal currently sat fourth in the Premier League.
