Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea will allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave for free. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Frank Lampard revealed that he intended to utilise Chelsea star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the Champions League matches against Real Madrid. His omission from the squad limited Lampard’s choices for forwards.
The 33-year-old Gabonese attacker was dropped by Graham Potter from the Champions League squad in February after failing to make an impact in the tournament. It would appear he has played his final Champions League game for the Blues.
Aubameyang left Barcelona for Chelsea last summer in a deal worth £12 million. The ex-Arsenal player has played for 30 minutes over the past three and a half months, although he came on after half-time in Chelsea’s 0-2 loss to Brentford.
In his remarks at the news conference, (h/t Evening Standard), Lampard hinted that he may have used Aubameyang in Champions League matches. He also intends to give the striker more playing time.
“He couldn’t play the two Real Madrid games for me because he was not in the squad. He came on for me against the Wolves, and for a number nine to be sharp and play regularly is key. To see him training when we haven’t had many minutes before to train, he came into my thinking today anyway.”
It is difficult to say if Aubameyang would have swung the tie in our favour. He does, however, provide an alternative to our goal scoring options.
Given that we wasted several opportunities against Real Madrid and the former AC Milan striker might have converted them, you know it could have been different if the Gabonese front had been played in the Champions League.
He also has a stellar record against them, with seven goals in seven games against Real Madrid. It’s unfortunate that our season would have been different if we had purchased a suitable striker who could capitalise on opportunities; the acquisition of Aubameyang was akin to that of Romelu Lukaku, as both turned out to be poor signings.
We must be extra cautious when evaluating the players since they may be a good fit for other teams, but not always for different clubs.
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