Following the departure of Roman Abramovich and a takeover by a consortium led by Todd Boehly, questions were raised as to whether Chelsea would tighten their belts in the transfer market or continue the free-spending tactics so often employed under the previous regime. The £10m signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona on transfer deadline day provides a solid answer to the answer. Chelsea have spent around £270m on a host of players this summer, including Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina – and now Aubameyang. They also added defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus. Their summer spending is the second biggest in a transfer window across Europe, behind Real Madrid’s 2019 Eden Hazard. It is a host of players across a wide range of ages, positions and experience, indicative of a transfer policy based on aggression, impatience and the need to catch up after early delays due to the impact of Abramovich’s sanctions last season. Manager Thomas Tuchel spoke earlier in the summer of his “intense” relationship with Boehly and the other directors as they texted each other on a daily basis trying to overcome their self-imposed slow start to the market. All of which begs the question of what Chelsea’s plan has been in this transfer window and where exactly Aubameyang fits into it. The 33-year-old has impressed at Barcelona since joining from Arsenal on a free transfer in January, scoring 13 goals in 24 appearances. However, amid the La Liga club’s well-documented financial problems, they were forced to sell to declare all of their summer signings. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Sport: “It’s a good deal for Barcelona, close to €20m once you count Alonso. I think it suits everyone. He suits Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea.”
“Aubameyang could be a very smart signing”
For all the hundreds of millions of pounds Chelsea spent in the summer, targets remain an issue. With Romelu Lukaku returning to Inter on loan and losses reduced by Timo Werner, Tuchel wants to sign a striker. Early-season defeats to Leeds and Southampton – the latter of which featured Sterling and Kai Havertz as a front two – have compounded this problem. Chelsea have scored just six goals in their first five 2022-23 league games, joint-fewest with Brighton in the top half of the table. Their shot conversion rate this season is an abysmal 9.68%. Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer believes it’s a smart and necessary move. He said: “Aubameyang could be a very smart signing. The manager knows him well and knows his character. Arsenal felt they had to get him off and it turned out to be the right move, but he has proven he will score goals in the Premier League . . . Aubameyang’s time at Arsenal – and his eventual departure – cannot be ignored. Signed in January 2018, the last major arrival of the Arsene Wenger era, goals were rarely the problem as he hit 92 in 163 games in all competitions for the Gunners. In the Premier League he scored at a rate of better than a goal every two games. He has scored 68 goals since February 2018 in the league, the fifth most of any player in that time. Not bad for a man who hasn’t played for England since 6th December 2021. Aubameyang has been replaced in Arsenal’s attack by Gabriel Jesus, aided by a dynamic young strike force featuring Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and others. This took Arsenal top of the Premier League with five wins from five, scoring 13 goals in the process. They have improved since the sale of Aubameyang. So will Chelsea really improve by buying him?
“Aren’t there any younger players?”
Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson is not convinced. “Auba’s stock wasn’t that high because of the problems around Arsenal,” he says. “But you know he will score goals. “Wouldn’t Chelsea want younger players? Aren’t there younger players you could make better? If Tuchel believes he can bring out his best, then great. “As good as Sterling is, if they want to be competitive with the best, they need to score 80 or 90 goals or more. They haven’t at the moment. If Aubameyang is that man, then good luck to them. I’m not entirely convinced”. A key reason Chelsea have signed Aubameyang is his strong relationship with Tuchel. The German coached the Gabon forward at Borussia Dortmund between 2015 and 2017, when he was arguably at the height of his goalscoring abilities, hitting 79 times in 95 games in all competitions. Aubameyang may now be five years older, but Tuchel has bet the score is still there. His stats at Barca show that he absolutely is. For £12m – a fifth of what Chelsea are reportedly asking Everton for Anthony Gordon – it’s a risk he will happily take. Chelsea also need to end their recent terrible run of forward signings. From Fernando Torres to Gonzalo Higuain via Alvaro Morata and Radamel Falcao – not to mention Lukaku’s failed comeback – the number nine role at Stamford Bridge has often appeared cursed. These five strikers have cost Chelsea more than £200m in combined transfer and loan fees. All for a grand return of 90 goals between them in all competitions, the minimum total the Blues would expect from just one of these lauded strikers during their time at the club. Certainly, Tuchel must quickly find an answer to Chelsea’s attacking problem. Their poor run of form stretches back to the end of last season – six wins in their last 15 Premier League games – with frustrations now beginning to seep into the open. So is Aubameyang the missing piece for Chelsea? For the sake of their season, they have to hope so.
