COMMENT: It makes little sense. Then again, these days at Chelsea, it really is the norm. Freezing out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Or even worse, trying to palm him off to Los Angeles. Another move from inside Stamford Bridge which offers little logic…
Five goals from their last 12 games. Five goals… Which to be fair makes sense. After all, Graham Potter has only the one senior striker. Thing is, the Blues manager now wants rid. With a full second-half of the season programme to navigate, Potter feels his team can handle what lies ahead without any type of senior attacking presence. Again, five goals… in 12 games.
As we say, freezing out Aubameyang from Chelsea‘s Champions League squad is one thing. Perhaps there’s an explanation, though Potter – in terms of football – never offered one. Nor was he pressed (more on that later). It was all emotion. “I understand he’ll be disappointed,” was offered. And, “It’s absolutely nothing bad against him”. Real lightweight stuff. Nothing about how he expects to score goals without a proven striker. Nor how this glut of attacking midfielders he now has can actually be effective with no target to hit ahead of them.
But okay. It’s football. It’s choices. Opinion. But now Potter has green lit Aubameyang’s departure for Los Angeles FC. It isn’t the manager trying to convince the Gabonese to stick around. Nor his higher ups. Indeed, it’s hardly dot connecting to see why LAFC are the team willing to take Aubameyang off Chelsea‘s hands. Todd Boehly, LA’s own of course, happy to waive any loan fee and cover 100 per cent of Auba’s salary to get the deal done. It’s only the player who’s holding things up.
As he should. For this column, Aubameyang deserves better than this. And he’s actually better than this. Far, far better. It’s why the giants of the continent have all been in touch through intermediaries this past week – letting the 33 year-old know they’re ready to offer him an escape route out of West London.
Barca have let it be known they’ll take him back. Atletico Madrid are in contact. Pablo Longoria, a personal fan, would love Auba at his Olympique Marseille. And then there’s the emotional option of AC Milan. The club where both Auba and brother Willy effectively turned pro. With their success of extending the careers of veterans, built from the foundations of their groundbreaking MilanLab, Rossonero management would welcome Aubameyang back with open arms. If Paolo Maldini can see the benefit of working with Auba. Plus Xavi. Longoria. Then why them and not Potter…?
Yes, we backed Mikel Arteta bombing his former captain out of Arsenal a year ago. But Chelsea isn’t Arsenal. And the Auba of Arsenal isn’t the Aubameyang of Chelsea. But beyond personalities. It’s just practical football sense. Chelsea need goals. They need a centre-forward. And Aubameyang is the only one available. Yet they’d sooner shuffle him off to LA than find a way to make this work.
And it must be recalled. Auba came to Chelsea last August on the back of him and his family suffering a violent home invasion. A burglary which saw Auba physically attacked. The bubbly personality. The positive, upbeat nature. It’s still there. But no-one shrugs off such a life-threatening incident. Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel were good enough to offer the veteran a return to London. But now it’s clear they’re doing everything they can to force him into another move away.
So where’s the press on this? Would everything be skipped over as it has if Jose Mourinho was in charge? What about Antonio Conte? Or better yet, what of all the scrutiny and debate that swirled around Erik ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United? Why do they get it in the neck and Potter and Boehly are left alone?
Even today, with the team free and clear at the top of the table, Arteta will still be criticised by some celeb fans for his treatment of Aubameyang. Yet his decision-making had reason. Logic. And the consequences of such a call have been overwhelmingly positive.
But circumstances at Chelsea are completely different. And this decision does deserve examination. What has changed in six months? With no striker. No goals. What has Potter seen which has him confident that things will change by dumping his one centre-forward?
It makes little sense. And with the likes of Maldini, Xavi and Longoria on the other end of the phone, it’s a decision that bears little credibility. But this is now the norm at Chelsea. Attempts to offload Aubameyang just the latest of baffling football decisions from this club.
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