Chelsea’s new star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang praised current PSG boss Christophe Galtier for turning him into a prolific goalscorer during a difficult time in his career.
Over the summer, the 33-year-old returned to the Premier League after completing his deadline day move from Barcelona to Chelsea.
The transfer marked Aubameyang’s first return to England since his sour departure from Arsenal.
The Gabon international left the club after a falling out with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta over disciplinary issues.
After leaving London, Aubameyang joined Barcelona, though his stay at Camp Nou proved short-lived. After just six months, the club bought Robert Lewandowski, leaving little room for the former Arsenal and Dortmund ace.
A move to Chelsea followed, with the player already making two appearances in the Champions League.
Aubameyang is now poised to make his Premier League debut for the Blues on Saturday against Crystal Palace.
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In an interview with teammate Wesley Fofana, the striker revealed some of the issues he faced early on in his career.
The player praised current PSG boss Galtier who helped turn him into a natural goalscorer during their time together at Saint-Etienne.
Speaking on Chelsea’s YouTube channel, he said: “I’ve been through a lot of bad moments. I mean, not injury. At the beginning of my career, everyone was talking about me like a sprinter only. You know, this hurts sometimes because you know where you come from.
“You know that you went through a lot of stuff and you always try your best. Some people, even from your club, they say that you are not good at playing football.
“After that I changed my mind and when I arrived at Saint-Etienne I was happy because Christophe Galtier, at that time, gave me the confidence and it changed everything in my career and this is where I started scoring goals.”
Aubameyang moved to Arsenal in January 2018, meaning he has spent the majority of the last four years in London.
Speaking about his time in the capital, he added: “What I like about London is there are a lot of clubs. The rivalry between clubs is crazy. Always the London derbies… I love the atmosphere in the stadium.”
Next weekend’s away clash against Palace will be Aubameyang’s first London derby since signing for the Blues.
Interestingly, his first home derby will take place on November 6 when his former employers Arsenal arrive at Stamford Bridge.
