Explaining his decision in 2016, Aubameyang said: “I received an offer from Qatar of €10m per year (£7.83m). If I accepted, my family would be set up for life.
“We chose to stay at Saint-Etienne, where I got €70,000 per month (£55,000), knowing that, given my qualities, I could earn money tomorrow.
“The following season, Saint-Etienne wanted to send me to Newcastle.
“We opted for Dortmund, finalist in the Champions League, because my father studied Klopp’s game, even though the pay was lower.”
Aubameyang managed 41 goals and 16 assists in 93 appearances for Borussia Dortmund under Klopp
Aubameyang managed 41 goals and 16 assists in 93 appearances for Borussia Dortmund under Klopp
Aubameyang became one of the hottest strikers in Europe, while Newcastle embarked on a three year decline which would eventually see them relegated from the Premier League in 2016.
Unlike the Magpies, Aubameyang was playing in the English top-flight in 2018.
Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign the striker from Dortmund in a £56million deal.For three-and-a-half years, Aubameyang was worth his weight in gold.
He scored 64 goals in 114 leagues games before the 2021/22 season – when everything went wrong.
Aubameyang’s behaviour as captain and role model to the club’s younger players began to irritate manager Mikel Arteta – and a very public fallout led to the striker’s sudden exit.
Barcelona snapped him up in January 2022 and Aubameyang made a solid start, scoring 11 goals in 17 LaLiga matches.
Chelsea then decided to take a punt on the 34-year-old in the summer of 2023.
Aubameyang’s time at Chelsea and Arsenal ended in misery
It turned out to be a dreadful decision as Aubameyang returned one Premier League goal and barely featured during a forgettable campaign for the club and the player.
He finally escaped back to Ligue 1 this summer after Chelsea struck a deal with Marseille – and the Blues’ future looks a little more optimistic without him.
But had Newcastle managed to sign Aubameyang in his prime, their last decade might have panned out very differently.
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