Star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed for Ligue 1 outfit Olympique de Marseille from Premier League giants Chelsea on Friday. Aubameyang thus returns to France after a decade as he previously represented St. Etienne from 2010-13. The 34-year-old has endured a tumultuous last two years in his professional career, having switched to FC Barcelona in La Liga from Arsenal in the winter transfer window of the 2021/22 season.
The Gabon international had a fairly fruitful spell at the Catalan club. He demonstrated his goal-scoring prowess quite well by scoring 11 goals off 18 appearances but decided to switch to Chelsea as Barcelona signed Polish forward Robert Lewandowski ahead of the previous campaign.
Also Read:
Aubameyang could not nail down a starting spot for the Blues as they went through a difficult season in 2022/23. They finished 12th in the points table and secured merely 11 victories in 38 matches in the season.
Aubameyang started merely five times in the league and made 10 appearances off the bench. He notched a solitary goal but netted twice in six matches in the UEFA Champions League. However, he was largely relegated to the bench and hence a move was widely expected in the current summer transfer window.
“The Gabon international arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer from Barcelona and went on to make 21 appearances in all competitions for the Blues. He scored three goals for Chelsea, all of which came in the space of ten days in October. Aubameyang struck against Crystal Palace in the Premier League and converted in back-to-back Champions League group stage matches against AC Milan,” Chelsea mentioned in their official statement.
The club added, “We would like to thank Pierre and wish him well as he begins the next chapter of his career.”
