"Yo Pierre, you wanna come out here?"
No, this was not another episode of The Jamie Foxx Show. This was Henrikh Mkhitaryan - a somewhat forgettable name in Arsenal quarters these days - teasing the arrival of Arsene Wenger's final marquee signing. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
It was not for the want of trying, but Alexandre Lacazette - another big-money acquisition in the final third of the field - just could not replace the goals of Alexis Sanchez, with the Gunners desperately seeking a solution to their little Chilean's switch to Manchester United.
In the 2016-17 season - the first time in Wenger's tenure that Arsenal had failed to qualify for the Champions League - Sanchez bagged 37 goal contributions in 38 Premier League matches before his acrimonious exit for Old Trafford. Lacazette made a positive impression, but the goals were not flying in at the same rate.
Mkhitaryan's arrival did not lead to pandemonium within the Arsenal fanbase, but his soon-to-be reunion did. Deadline day 2018 will always be looked back on fondly by Gooners as Aubameyang's £56m arrival was confirmed. Exactly four years later, the former Borussia Dortmund man left for Catalonia with a sour taste in the mouth.
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The excitement was unparalleled, the iconic number 14 shirt was bestowed upon him, and Aubameyang knew the magnitude of the task before him. Attempting to fill Thierry Henry's boots was the aim, and Everton was the game, as the Gabon striker opened his account on his debut with the fourth in a 5-1 win over the Toffees.
Whether Aubameyang would be deployed as the focal point of the attack or out wide to accommodate Lacazette - with the two forwards striking up a heart-warming and long-lasting friendship - the ex-Dortmund man would take all of 13 games to hit 10 Premier League goals for the club, including the very last top-flight goal of the Wenger era at Huddersfield Town.
The Gunners' new adventures in the second tier of European football did not deter Aubameyang and his beaming smile, which was on full display at the start of the Unai Emery reign, as he struck a sublime second in that enthralling 4-2 North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur in December 2018.
Joining his African counterparts Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah as one of three recipients of the 2018-19 Premier League Golden Boot with 22 strikes, Aubameyang etched himself into another chapter of the Arsenal history books with a Europa League semi-final hat-trick against Valencia before hopes of a return to the promised land of the Champions League were dashed by Chelsea.
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Such began the downfall of Emery, but the Spaniard did not depart before entrusting Aubameyang with the captain's armband, which he first donned against Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 2019 after Granit Xhaka's Crystal Palace outburst.
It was hardly a surprise to see Mikel Arteta retain the same faith in Aubameyang, even if he did begin to develop something of a reputation for missing gilt-edged chances - perhaps none more memorable than blasting wide in the Europa League against Olympiacos as Arsenal crashed out in extra time in the last-32. The Champions League dream was over for another year, Aubameyang apologised, and focus turned to their bread and butter in the FA Cup.
Incredibly, Aubameyang did not play at all for Arsenal in the 2019-20 FA Cup before their spot at Wembley was booked, but the Gabon international needed only 180 minutes to front-flip his way to domestic glory.
After seeing off Manchester City with a pair of calm finishes in a tie during which Arsenal were otherwise under the cosh for the entire game, Aubameyang won and converted a penalty to restore parity in the final against Chelsea before dinking the ball over Willy Caballero and comically dropping the cup before lifting it up high.
My manager !!!!! https://t.co/uMpL68BWnl
— AUBA⚡️ (@Auba) August 1, 2020
The relationship between Arteta and Aubameyang could not have been better, the £350k-a-week deal was signed, sealed and delivered, and Gooners expected more of the same from their skipper - especially seeing as more effort was seemingly put into the build-up to his contract announcement than several new signings during that window.
However, after another trademark stunner in the Community Shield win over Liverpool and 'signing da ting', the downward spiral began. Just three goals from his opening 13 games embodied that of a player lacking in self-belief as well as an Arsenal team seeing their name used in the same sentence as 'relegation' unironically.
Such fears were well wide of the mark in the end, but with regards to Aubameyang, the first hint of frost in his relationship with Arteta reared its ugly head as he was dropped for the North London derby for lateness. Arsenal won the contest before Aubameyang was immediately reinstated to the XI, although a worrying bout of malaria also disrupted his underwhelming season.
Double-figure goals in the Premier League is nothing to be sniffed at, but after failing to hit his usual heights, some questioned whether it was time to move on from Aubameyang - now into his 30s - before his 2021-22 season began in the worst possible way with a positive COVID-19 test.
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A hat-trick in an EFL Cup humiliation of West Bromwich Albion and a wonderful counter-attacking goal against Tottenham - coupled with the iconic Henry knee slide celebration - perhaps sold Arsenal fans false hope, as Aubameyang was up to his old tricks once again versus Newcastle United, missing an open goal from a yard out.
Such a calamitous error was the latest in a succession of howlers from the ex-AC Milan and Saint-Etienne prospect, but where were the alternative options? Lacazette has never been that 20-goal striker, Eddie Nketiah - despite Arteta's faith in him - is guilty of a lack of ruthlessness himself, and Folarin Balogun was not ready for the step-up to senior level.
After netting his 92nd and final goal in Arsenal colours against Aston Villa in October, Aubameyang would endure a six-game goal drought before another disciplinary breach - this time for a late return from visiting his mother - ultimately saw Arteta strip the captain's armband from the striker.
The Arsenal boss admitted that such a decision was a "painful" one to take given the strong relationship the pair had enjoyed up until that point, but as we had seen from the Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi sagas, there was no way back for the 32-year-old after this.
Aubameyang being caught up in disciplinary issues was nothing new - the forward was once dropped from Dortmund's Champions League group under Thomas Tuchel for something similar - and it became clear to everyone involved that Arsenal could not have another high earner collecting his weekly pay packet while exiled from the group. Again.
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After receiving positive news over a post-COVID health scare, attention turned to trying to offload Aubameyang, with barely anyone expecting the Gabonese attacker to force his way back into Arteta's plans.
By the time deadline day rolled around, Amazon's All or Nothing producers must have been rubbing their hands with glee, as Aubameyang channelled his inner Peter Odemwingie and took himself off to Barcelona while the two clubs - who were both reportedly surprised by his arrival - tried to thrash out some sort of agreement.
In the end, Arsenal and their infinite wisdom elected to terminate yet another player's contract and allow him to head out of the exit door for zilch, saving a reported £26m wages by doing so. Barcelona bolstered their attack with a big name, Arsenal cut one of their biggest earners off the wage bill - a good deal all round?
On the face of it, yes, but given Arsenal's failure to adequately improve their own ranks in January, Edu will not be making many friends in North London any time soon. After their lengthy pursuit of Dusan Vlahovic failed to bear fruit, one has to question whether Arsenal had a Plan B in place, especially with Lacazette and Nketiah - both out of contract in the summer - Arteta's only two out-and-out strikers for the rest of the season.
It is a gamble that could reap serious rewards or backfire horribly for the Champions League-chasing North London club, whose only acquisition of the January window was Colorado Rapids defender Auston Trusty - nothing more than a deal to boost relations between two outfits at Stan Kroenke's mercy.
All eyes will now be on Arsenal's striker pursuit in the summer window, and we can only hope that the powers-that-be have learned their lessons about handing out long-term mammoth deals to ageing players. The time was right for Aubameyang to seek pastures new, and while the term 'legend' might be a bit of a stretch, his contributions must never be overlooked.
Ben Knapton
