It took a bold and brave move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to join Chelsea in the summer window. For many reasons, it was a bold switch, not knowing the kind of reception he would get by the Blues fans having represented cross-town rivals, Arsenal, in the past.
While it was brave for him to take this as the next step in his journey, considering the issues Chelsea have had with world class strikers in the past – as well as donning the number nine jersey, which had been classified as cursed for the football club.
The curse goes back to Chelsea’s maiden Premier League title win, with Mateja Kezman scoring just four goals in 25 games after arriving with a huge reputation.
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Hernan Crespo then followed, with the Blues later breaking their transfer record a number of times on the likes of Fernando Torres, and most recently, Romelu Lukaku.
It’s been so bad in the past that Alvaro Morata, who donned the infamous number nine jersey, changed to number 29 when he returned from his loan spell.
So bad that the number hasn’t always been worn by strikers with Steve Sidwell and Khalid Boulahrouz wearing it in the past.
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To date, Aubameyang has fitted into the Chelsea fold like a glove, playing a crucial role in Graham Potter’s free-flowing system. Under the Englishman, Aubameyang has scored three goals in three matches.
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From that trio of goals, just one of them was from a well-worked attack, finishing in a tap-in from a Reece James cross.
The other two against Crystal Palace and AC Milan at the San Siro, were both goals out of absolutely nothing – highlighting the Gabonese’s predatory instincts in and around the box.
The 33-year-old has shown very little signs of ageing and could easily get to 20 goals across all competitions this season if he were to stay on this upward trajectory. Aubameyang has already won a Golden Boot in the Premier League before and is a natural goal scorer. However, that isn’t the only aspect of his game.
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Having played at Dortmund, Arsenal and Barcelona, he knows all about playing for the team more than just playing for himself. His link-up play for a forward is second to none in the Premier League, bringing the likes of Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz into play and getting the best out of them as well.
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Aubameyang will look to be on the scoresheet once again as the Blues are back on the road this weekend, travelling to under-performing Aston Villa on Sunday.
Chelsea will be looking to strengthen their spot in the top four and gain ground on the top of the Premier League standings, where they are eight points behind the leaders, Arsenal, with a game in hand.
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Topics: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Chelsea, Football
Chadley Nagel