Chelsea are reportedly paying around £10m plus Alonso for the former Arsenal striker. Aubameyang flew to the UK on Thursday afternoon for his medical and to finalize the deal, which was completed after the 11pm deadline, but Chelsea tabled the agreement sheet to allow more time. Aubameyang suffered a small fracture to his jaw in an attack at his home at the weekend. The Gabon forward, who is expected to be sidelined for three weeks, can resume non-contact training next week. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been spotted in London ahead of the deadline day move from Barcelona to Chelsea. Aubameyang moved to Barcelona on a free transfer from Arsenal in January. Although Thomas Tuchel was reluctant to talk about Aubameyang publicly, he wanted to work again with a player who scored 79 goals for him in two seasons at Borussia Dortmund. Before the Aubameyang deal was completed, Tuchel had already spent £268m this summer on players including Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. Chelsea also completed a loan deal for Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria on Deadline Day, but a £43m bid for Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez failed to materialize into a completed deal.

Chelsea need an immediate impact

Sky Sports Adam Smith: “Some players stay your players because you were very, very close – and Auba is one of those players,” Tuchel told reporters last month, effectively confirming reports that Chelsea were looking to sign his former striker. While the Gabon international made headlines for the right and wrong reasons during his time at Arsenal, Aubameyang has simply scored at Borussia Dortmund under Tuchel – with 56 Bundesliga goals in 63 appearances across two campaigns. Image: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s record under Thomas Tuchel at Dortmund That partnership ended when Tuchel was sacked by Dortmund at the end of the 2016/17 season and Aubameyang joined Arsenal in the winter of 2018 for a then club record £60million – hitting the ground running with 10 league goals in just 12 starts. However, his goal ratio gradually declined over four campaigns, culminating in him being stripped by the club captain on disciplinary grounds before leaving the club by mutual consent six weeks later to join Barcelona on a free transfer. In true Jekyll and Hyde form, the flashy striker once again burst out of the blocks in La Liga, averaging nearly a goal per game last season – helping the club climb from fifth in the league to finish second behind rivals Real Madrid. However, Barca have been busy in the transfer market this summer amid an ongoing row surrounding their rush to raise capital and record income, including former Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski. Barcelona have opened the door for Aubameynang to leave the club after just seven months at the Nou Camp – shelling out around £10.3m and snapping up Alonso in the process – and Aubameyang’s old mentor has come calling. But why? Some players stay your players because you were very, very close – and Auba is one of those players Thomas Tuchel
The 33-year-old would fit seamlessly into Tuchel’s plans, having worked so fruitfully together during the two-year spell that ended five years ago. Additionally, Aubameyang has a history of making instant impacts and would fill the No.9 void left by Romelu Lukaku, who failed to ignite with his £97.5m return to the club last season and was loaned out to former club Inter Milan this term. Chelsea have struggled with an age-old theme during the German’s tenure – conversion chances. Although just five games in, the Blues have the seventh-worst goal difference in the division. Indeed, midfielder Mason Mount tops the club for league goals during Tuchel’s reign, followed by versatile Kai Havertz – who has recently adopted a false No.9 role – keeping midfielder and penalty-killer Jorginho and winger winger Christian Pulisic. As the graphics below reveal, Aubameyang also offers versatility and positional fluidity – having worked the left-back and central positions equally during his time at the Emirates. On song, the forward is clinical and the goal map below highlights what he could offer Chelsea: goals, in and around central areas within the goal, and is likely to take a predominantly central position – allowing his development summer Raheem Sterling. down his favorite broad channel. With the Blues sitting ninth in the Premier League table after five games and just two wins under their belt, Tuchel will be hoping his former favorite can make another explosive impact.