by Having fled from Arsenal in the January window of 2022, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked set to never return to England. Despite having made public overtures to join Real Madrid in the past, the Gabon striker wound up signing for FC Barcelona. The Catalans, in need of a pure forward at the time, were able to secure the player on a deal from Arsenal who were keen to move on from the tempestuous striker. After just six months in Spain, though, the forward was back on the market as Barca managed to sign prime target Robert Lewandowski.
This put other clubs in England on high alert, including Chelsea. With former manager Thomas Tuchel at the club and the exit of wantaway record signing Romelu Lukaku, this made almost obvious sense. A deal was struck late in the window, and the former Arsenal man was now paraded at Stamford Bridge in a blue shirt. Not long after signing, though, a shock message came through: Thomas Tuchel was sacked.
The German was let go after a poor start to the season and a lack of connectivity to club owner Todd Boelhy. The American quickly fell out with Tuchel, and the hot-headed German was soon making for the exit doors. With Aubameyang signing primarily because of his previous success under Tuchel, has this left a sour taste in the mouth? Could he already be regretting his choice?
Aubameyang sounds uncertain on Chelsea future already
A nomadic career has seen Aubameyang really only stick around at Borussia Dortmund for more than a relatively short period of time. Even then, his relationship with the Schwarzgelben ended poorly and he was sold acrimoniously to the Gunners. Quick exits from clubs has been relatively common for the striker, but leaving Chelsea already would be a shock.
In his comments after the Chelsea result in midweek, though, a draw at home to RB Salzburg in new head coach Graham Potter’s debut, Aubameyang left little doubt that he was unhappy. When asked about his relationship with Tuchel, he said: “Everyone knows the relationship that I had with Thomas. It’s always sad when someone leaves the club. Obviously, I just saw him for a few days. When you play football you have to adapt very quickly to some moments in the season, this can happen.
“It’s been a crazy week for all of us, that’s part of the life, we have to adapt, I think it’s a bit of sadness at the moment, hopefully we’ll get back to better days soon. Obviously, I think it’s a bit strange for everybody, not only for me, but as I said, this is football, you have to adapt.”
Given the Blues were reported to have told former starlet Billy Gilmour that they were intending on making changes, it is not like the Tuchel decision was made on a whim. Chelsea, then, could have another high-earning veteran striker on their books who does not want to be in West London.
With so much invested this summer, the Blues could have created more problems than solutions after a busy, frantic August and September.
