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Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has picked Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp over Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola when asked to choose between the two.
The Gabon international was asked several rapid-fire questions on ESPNFC, of which one was to pick between Klopp and Guardiola. He didn't take much time to make up his mind and promptly replied:
"Klopp"
Aubameyang's response doesn't come as a surprise considering he has worked with the German manager in the past. Klopp signed him from Saint-Etienne at Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2013 before the manager left Signal Iduna Park two years later.
Klopp went on to replace Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool in October 2015 while the Gabonese centre-forward joined Arsenal in 2018. He scored 41 goals and laid out 16 assists in his 93 games under Klopp, winning the German Super Cup twice.
Aubameyang never played under Pep Guardiola, but was managed by one of his former assistants at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta, during his stint at the Emirates.
He joined Barcelona on a free transfer earlier this year in January after leaving the Gunners on mutual consent. His position in manager Xavi Hernandez's starting XI is now under jeopardy after the acquisition of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich and Ousmane Dembele's contract renewal until 2024.
This has led to him being linked with a move away from Camp Nou before the end of the summer transfer window.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp questions Barcelona's spending amidst their financial crisis
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has raised question marks over Barcelona's spending in the current transfer window. The Blaugranas have signed Robert Lewandowski, Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, and Jules Kounde this summer.
Earlier this month, it was claimed that Barca could fail to register their new acquisitions, but the activation of multiple economic levers assisted them in this regard.
Klopp, while speaking to Kicker (h/t 90min), implied that he was confused by the La Liga outfit's spending due to two reasons. He said:
"Not for a variety of reasons. One reason is I am not a financial professional. The second: If I'm told I don't have any money, then I don't spend anything anymore. My credit card has also been cut up twice, luckily that was a few years ago. I'm watching this like a football fan, I don't understand.
Activation of economic levers entailed selling the club's assets in order to balance the books at Barcelona. Klopp said that something similar happened at Westfalenstadion but raised doubts over Barca's long-term planning and if they have someone to help out of this jam. He continued:
"Barcelona have been outstanding for the past few decades that I have been watching football and I hope they pull it off. The only club I know that ever sold the stadium and other assets in advance was Borussia Dortmund. Aki Watzke had to come at the last second and save the whole thing, and I don't know if there is an Aki Watzke in Barcelona."
