Chelsea outcast Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been heavily linked with a summer exit, but the arrival of Frank Lampard as caretaker manager could lead to a reprieve for the striker.
It’s arguably fair to say that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s switch to Chelsea hasn’t exactly worked out for either party. However, the former Arsenal talisman could be handed an unlikely reprieve by Chelsea’s new caretaker manager, Frank Lampard.
Aubameyang has made only five first-time appearances since the turn of the year. Once again, he was excluded from the Chelsea squad by first team coach Bruno Saltor, who took charge of Tuesday night’s drab 0-0 draw with Liverpool after Graham Potter was sacked.
While few would have backed the former Barcelona ace to salvage his Stamford Bridge career, the arrival of Lampard on a deal until end of season could earn the 33-year-old an opportunity to muscle his way back into the first-team fold.
Reason being, a previous report that was released shortly after Lampard’s initial reign at Chelsea came to an end back in 2021 revelaed that the legend was keen on acquiring Aubameyang when he was in the midst of a contract stand-off at Arsenal in 2020.
Lampard’s request, however, was vetoed by the Chelsea board. It instead pushed ahead with a deal to sign Timo Wener from RB Leipzig.
Although Lampard didn’t get his man back then, he will finally get the chance to work with Aubameyanf during his stint as the club’s caretaker. That will only happen if he elects to reintergrate the Gabon international back into the squad.
Since signing a two-year deal with Chelsea in the summer, Aubameyang has scored just three times in 19 appearances and has become a peripheral figure in recent months.
And it’s not just on the pitch that the striker has disappointed, either. His decision to fly back to his former club Barcelona for last month’s El Clasico did not go down well. Reports claimed that the relationship between Aubameyang and Chelsea had been ‘torn apart’. The Londoners are therofore ready to rip up his contract at the end of the season.
It remains to be seen, though, if the club would press ahead with those plans if Aubameyang is given a platform to impress by Lampard between now and the end of the campaign.
Even if Aubameyang is utilised by Lampard over the coming months, the former Borussia Dortmund star will not be able to play a part in the forthcoming Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid.
However, he could be in line to feature on Saturday, when Lampard will return to the dugout for the first time since he was sacked by Everton in January when Chelsea host Wolves.