Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now ‘back in the picture’ at Stamford Bridge under Frank Lampard after a period in the wilderness, journalist Dean Jones has suggested to GIVEMESPORT.
The 33-year-old has been in and out of first-team involvement with the Blues this season and was also cut from the Blues’ 25-man Champions League squad earlier this year.
Chelsea latest news – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Last weekend, Aubameyang made a surprise return to the pitch for Chelsea in their 1-0 defeat to Wolves at Molineux, replacing Joao Felix in the 68th minute as the Blues extended a run of just one away win in the Premier League since last October, as per BBC Sport.
This was just the Gabon international’s second appearance in Chelsea’s last ten Premier League matches, as per Transfermarkt, having rarely been called upon to feature under Graham Potter before his exit from Stamford Bridge.
According to pundit Ian Wright on the Wrighty’s House podcast, the 59-year-old believes that Aubameyang could be the missing link for the Blues to start picking up results once again, as he said: “He will score the chances Chelsea are creating right now. I swear to God, Chelsea can absolutely cook some teams.”
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo have claimed that Barcelona could be open to acquiring Chelsea outcast Aubameyang in the summer; however, it is rumoured that they will need to pay a fee of €15 million (£13.1 million) to lure him back to Spotify Camp Nou.
What has Dean Jones said about Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang?
Journalist Jones believes that Aubameyang doesn’t have a future at Chelsea beyond this season and is surprised that he has returned to the fold.
Jones told GMS: “These are the mixed messages that just aren’t going to help Chelsea between now and the end of the season. Aubameyang doesn’t have a long-term future at Chelsea and suddenly now he’s back in the picture because they’ve got a new manager. It’s just such a strange one; Aubameyang has been training with the kids a lot of the time and suddenly now he’s getting on the pitch for the first team and even some people are wondering whether he should be starting.”
Does Aubameyang deserve another chance at Stamford Bridge?
Truth be told, Chelsea have lacked a natural striker all season and Lampard has probably assessed his options and determined that Aubameyang may be able to offer something tangible in the short term as he eyes an upturn in fortunes in west London.
In 2022/23, the £170k-a-week star has managed to score just three times in 20 appearances, as per Transfermarkt, though he has started just ten of those fixtures, so it may be a little unfair to judge him solely on his goal record.
The Blues find themselves on a wretched run in front of the target and have scored just 29 times in 30 Premier League matches, which is a significant contributing factor to why they lie in the bottom half of the table with just eight games left to play.
Kai Havertz is their top goalscorer in all competitions, with nine efforts to his name; however, he has flattered to deceive on several occasions in what has been a pretty forgettable time for all connected to the Stamford Bridge club.
Aubameyang might not be perfect; nevertheless, Lampard seems willing to at least try and get a turn out of him for the remainder of this term.
