Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted that he was the "solution" rather than the "problem" with the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga.
The striker completed a free transfer to Barcelona on deadline day last month after being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy in December and ostracized from the squad.
Aubameyang admitted that his only "problem" at Arsenal was with Arteta following his announcement as a Barca player, but the Gunners boss has rejected that claim.
"I'm extremely grateful for what Auba has done at the club since I've been here. The way I see myself in that relationship is the solution and not the problem," Arteta told reporters ahead of Thursday's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Gunners failed to sign a replacement for Aubameyang in the January window, but Arteta has defended the club's transfer strategy, claiming that under-fire technical director Edu is doing a "great job".
Having lost out on the signature of Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus, Arsenal are expected to pursue the signatures of Alexander Isak and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the summer, when Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will most likely have departed as free agents.