At the conclusion of the 2021-22 mid-season, transfer window, it should be obvious that the most noteworthy signing made was the transfer of Dušan Vlahović from Fiorentina to Juventus. Juve's acquisition of the rising star from Serbia might be exactly what they need to revitalize their floundering season. At just 22 years old, Vlahović already possesses remarkable goalscoring prowess. With 38 league goals over the past one-and-a-half seasons, Vlahović appears likely to emerge as one of the best strikers of his generation. The Bianconeri's payout of €70 million to Fiorentina already seems like a remarkable bargain.
However, another notable transfer - this one on the other end of the spectrum - took place on the final day of the transfer window. Barcelona acquired Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal by way of a free transfer. Considering the Gabonese striker's stunning decline since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, it should not have come as a surprise that Aubameyang was deemed surplus to requirements at the Emirates Stadium.
The fact that Aubameyang's play has completely fallen off a cliff should not come as a surprise. At 32, the fact that Father Time has caught up to him is certainly not unusual in any way. The part which is truly shocking, however, is just how abrupt and sudden Aubameyang's decline turned out to be.
Just a season and a half ago, Aubameyang had concluded a season which saw him find the net 22 times in the Premier League while also spearheading Arsenal's victorious FA Cup campaign. He was selected as a member of that season's Premier League PFA Team of the Year as well as Arsenal's Player of the Season.
From the 2015-16 to 2019-20 seasons spanning two-and-a-half seasons at Borussia Dortmund and the same amount of time at Arsenal, Aubameyang scored an extremely impressive 170 goals in 228 matches across all competitions, including 123 in 164 league matches. At that point, it seemed as though Aubameyang could do no wrong in front of goal.
No one could have foreseen the events which were to follow. Last season, "Auba" managed just 10 league goals - his lowest tally in 12 years. He then went on to follow that up with just four in 14 league matches for Arsenal this season before the Gunners decided that they'd seen enough and sent him on his way to Catalonia.
It is exceptionally rare that a player goes from "elite" to "washed" in such a short timespan. Unfortunately, Aubameyang fits that description perfectly. It really does feel like just yesterday that Aubameyang struck terror into the hearts of defenses across the Bundesliga and Premier League as well as in continental tournaments. In his prime, Aubameyang's technical prowess, off-ball movement, and of course, his blistering speed made him one of the world's best centre-forwards for several years. During his time at Arsenal, there were occasions when Aubameyang put the team on his back and dragged some true dumpster-fire teams to unlikely victories.
Sadly, that version of Aubameyang will never be coming back. As one might expect, Aubameyang's speed was the first major element of his game to disappear. However, it was his speed which was the foundation of the rest of his playstyle. His off-ball movement was no longer as fluid as it once had been and he could neither zip past defenders to create that extra bit of space nor leave them in his dust when taking them on one-on-one any longer.
As Aubameyang begins his tenure at Barça and enters the closing stages of his career, there are many questions being asked about how he will fare at Camp Nou. However, based on the evidence on display since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Blaugrana should consider themselves fortunate that they did not spend even a cent to land Aubameyang.
There are some footballers who age like wine and some who age like milk. It should be evident by now that Aubameyang has aged like the lactose-filled beverage. For this reason, Aubameyang will likely be spending a great deal of time on the Barça bench as what seems to be a sad ending to an otherwise excellent career begins to unfold. Now, could it be possible that he may have a sudden revival at Barcelona? It could - but that outcome is highly unlikely.
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