OM: Aubameyang's strong words on upcoming competition with Amine Gouiri | OneFootball

Aubameyang

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returning to OM, fierce competition is expected up front for Marseille next season. The Gabonese striker sent a powerful message to Amine Gouiri.

A year after bidding farewell to Olympique de Marseille, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back in the south of France. This Friday, the Gabon international faced the media for the traditional press conference.

It was the perfect opportunity for Aubameyang to share what motivated his return to OM. "I always kept good contact with the management and the players. I was in touch with Medhi Benatia. This summer, I spoke with Medhi and Pablo, but they didn't need to convince me—I'd watched the matches last season. It all went quickly. The coach joked with me a lot, he didn't want me to leave in the first place. The idea is to bring my experience and play my football. I'm flexible, I can play through the middle or on the wings. He knows I can adapt," he explained.

The former Arsenal man added: "De Zerbi, yes, he was a major factor in my decision to return. Even when I left, I had spent two weeks with the coach. In training I could see what was coming, and there were some great things ahead. He never gave up on me, he kept teasing me to come back, and now I’m back and we’re going to do some great work together."

Finally, Aubameyang addressed the competition posed by Amine Gouiri for his position, insisting the two could complement each other: "When you're a competitor, you come to make your mark. When I arrived at Arsenal, everyone thought I was there to replace Lacazette, but we ended up forming a fantastic partnership. I'm here to help the team progress—the most important thing is to give everything, whether it's Gouiri or me, what matters is that we give it our all together. At Saint-Étienne too, Brandao arrived and I was still a starter. It pushed me, especially having someone with a strong reputation; it makes you want to surpass yourself. That's what competition is about—it pushes you to be better."