Aubameyang Leaves Chelsea And Completes A Move To Olympique Marseille.

Olympique de Marseille have announced thr signing of Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Aubameyang, came into the limelight while playing for German club side Borussia Dortmund before making the move to Arsenal. He featured in a total of 163 matches for the Gunners and racked 113 goal contributions.

This would the the second time in 18 months that Aubameyang would be leaving the Premier League, having spent four years at Arsenal from 2018 before joining Spanish giants Barcelona in January 2022.

He scored 13 goals in 23 matches in his six months short time Spain, and later joined Chelsea in a £10.3 million deal on deadline day last summer as he looked to be the anticipated solution to the club's search for an out-and-out No.9 goalscoring striker.

But the Gabonese was unable to replicate that form under three different managers during an ill fated season-long stay at Stamford Bridge.

Aubameyang's former boss at Dortmund Thomas Tuchel was in charge of Chelsea at the time, and was a big part of the appeal to bring Auba to the West London club. 

He made just one appearance for the Blues in his reunion under Tuchel, before the German was surprisingly sacked and replaced by Graham Potter.

After an encouraging start for Aubameyang and Chelsea under Tuchel's successor Potter, which includes a run of three goals in three appearances in the space of ten days in October, signalling a potential return to form for the experienced striker. 

He struck against Crystal Palace in the Premier League and converted in back-to-back Champions League group stage matches against AC Milan, but Aubameyang failed to make the scoresheet again in a Chelsea shirt.

A mixture of matches from the bench and outside of the squad saw his influence diminish, as the team's form faded and he found himself behind false nine Kai Havertz in the pecking order. 

The writing was on the wall after Aubameyang's omission from the squad for the Champions League knockout stage games under Potter in favour of three new signings, made it certain that he would be sold in the summer window. 

Potter's departure in April saw caretaker boss Frank Lampard restore Aubameyang to the first team, but failed to impress following a poor display in a 3-1 defeat at former club Arsenal in early May.

After touching the ball just nine times in the opening 45 minutes - including four from kick-offs - Aubameyang was substituted at half-time and never played for the West London club again, making 22 appearances in total.

Aubameyang was not a part of the new boss Mauricio Pochettino’s plans moving ahead and he was earning a significant wage at the London club. As a result, his departure will help them balance their books.

His absence from the USA pre-season tour squad showed where his future lied. "No, nothing has changed," the new head coach said on the situation just earlier today in a pre-Brighton press conference.

Now the 34-year-old striker will have another shot to revive his career in a different league. Aubameyang reportedly also had offers from Saudi Arabia, but it looks like he wants to remain in Europe, and Marseille have given him just the platform to do that.

A return to Ligue 1 after 10-years, follows spells in France at the start of his career at Dijon, Lille, Monaco and St Etienne, where he won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2013.

𝐀𝐔𝐁𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐆 💥

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— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) July 21, 2023

Marseille have been in talks with the Blues for a while now and have finally struck a deal for his services.

Neither Chelsea nor Marseille revealed whether a fee was paid for the France-born player.

But according to reports, the Blues are believed to have let the 2015 African footballer of the year go on a free deal to join the French side, with a three-year deal claimed to be agreed until 2026 having already agreed on personal terms with the club a few days back.

The deal seems to be a win-win situation for both clubs, with the French club searching for an attacking reinforcement and they have secured the services of a striker who has proved his worth in clubs across Europe.

The move for Auba, see him compete in European football next season, and now has a shot at a Champions League return after Marseille finished third last season to reach the qualifying rounds.

The French top division is admittedly a step-down but will suit the veteran who has seen better days in his career.