Less than 18 months have passed since Mikel Arteta played a pivotal role in convincing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to sign a contract extension with Arsenal. The striker was coveted throughout Europe at the time, with Barcelona, Inter Milan and even London rivals Chelsea sensing an opportunity to snatch away the Gunners' prized forward as negotiations dragged on for months.
Sources have told ESPN that Arteta was vital in securing the breakthrough, developing a close relationship with the striker's father, Pierre, and talking a club forced into staff cutbacks elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic into spending a huge sum on one player.