Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says Chelsea were ‘a mess’ during his brief spell at Stamford Bridge and claims he was ‘disrespected’ by a former manager.
Chelsea signed the former Arsenal captain from Barcelona in the summer of 2022 but he left less than a year later having scored just three goals for the club.
Aubameyang had become a lesser force during his final months at Arsenal and failed to rediscover his goalscoring boots in west London.
His efforts were not helped by the fact Thomas Tuchel – the manager he played under at Borussia Dortmund and who brought him to Stamford Bridge – was sacked just five days after he arrived at the club.
Chelsea hired Graham Potter but the ex-Brighton boss repeatedly overlooked Aubameyang, even omitting the former Golden Boot winner from his Champions League squad.
‘That is when I started to say, “OK, this is very disrespectful”,’ Aubameyang told The Athletic. ‘They tried to send me on loan to America. I said: “No chance”.
‘I felt p***ed off. From that point, I said, “The season is done for me already”. I just went to training to maintain fitness; I knew I was not going to play.’
Aubameyang made his Chelsea debut in Tuchel’s final game in charge, ignoring medical advice to start the Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
‘When you arrive somewhere (new), you want to show straight away you’re involved,’ Aubameyang said. ‘It was the worst game of my life, but I did it because I had to play.
‘I remember that day because I didn’t recognise him (Tuchel). It was not the guy I knew a few years ago. We had a close relationship.
‘He was the only guy who really understood me in Dortmund. At Chelsea, it was like something was wrong. I felt he was not enjoying his time.
‘We lost and he was p**sed off. Usually, he would go crazy but he came to the dressing room and then left. I was like, “This is not the guy I know. Very strange”. The next day, he was sacked.’
Club legend Frank Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge as interim manager following Potter’s sacking but Aubameyang’s fortunes did not improve under the ex-England midfielder.
However, Aubameyang – who scored 92 goals in 163 games for Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal – believes this was a directive from the board.
‘He (Lampard) told me, “OK, I need you. I want to know how you feel, if you are ready to play again”,’ Aubameyang recalled. ‘I was like, “Yes. I’m waiting for this”.
‘Close to the end of the season, he spoke to me again and said, “What are your feelings? I’m sorry, Auba. I can’t really help you”. I understood it’s not coming from him but upstairs.’
Looking back at his spell at Chelsea more generally, Aubameyang says he joined ‘a mess’ when he moved to the club.
Chelsea’s recent success under Enzo Maresca has come following a period of huge transition and heavy spending at Stamford Bridge.
‘They did a mess,’ said Aubameyang, who is currently playing for Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah. ‘It didn’t even look like a football dressing room, it was more like rugby.
‘Hakim Ziyech, Denis Zakaria, Kalidou Koulibaly, Romelu Lukaku… It was good I wasn’t alone. We were laughing every day, so it was OK.
‘I never had that connection. No connections at all. The fans wanted the Auba they saw with Arsenal.
‘At the time, I was not ready for that and didn’t get the opportunity. I was not ready, as well, because of what happened in Barcelona.
‘It was a chaotic year but it was good for me because I needed a break and, at the same time, they didn’t want to play me.’
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