Arsene Wenger admits he feared Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Arsenal would collapse under the strain of two separate transfers.
Aubameyang joined from Borussia Dortmund in a £56million move that could only be complete when the German side secured a replacement.
That turned Arsenal’s pursuit of Aubameyang into a three-pronged transfer that required Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi to join Dortmund on loan and Olivier Giroud to leave the Gunners for Stamford Bridge.
The complexities of the deals were such that Arsenal eventually had to fund Batshuayi’s loan spell in Germany and had Wenger doubting whether he would indeed secure Aubameyang.
“There were plenty of times when I thought that might not happen,” Wenger admitted. “First of all the time became very short and it had to work on three fronts.
"And one linked with another one, you don't know any more who masters the situation. But I must say in the end it worked well.”
Arsenal have long been linked with Aubameyang and the Gunners considered a move in the 2016, though Wenger would ultimately make a summer move for Jamie Vardy before eventually settling on Lucas Perez.
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Newly-appointed head of recruitment Sven Mislintat played a significant role in securing Aubameyang’s signature but Wenger insisted he had long been aware of the Gabon striker’s quality.
“I was on the case already,” Wenger said. “We had interest in him when he was already in Dortmund.
“And I followed him at St Etienne when he played more on the flanks – especially on the left and on the right. He can play down the flanks and through the middle, that was what was interesting as well.”
