Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joins Marseille from Chelsea: Decoding his stats
Ligue 1 outfit Olympique de Marseille has roped in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Chelsea. As per Fabrizio Romano, the 34-year-old forward has signed a three-year deal with the club. After mutually terminating the contract at Chelsea, he joined Marseille as the Blues were looking to offload him after a poor outing last season. Interestingly, Aubameyang is returning to France after a decade. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Aubameyang had another year on his Chelsea contract but with him growing out of favor, the Gabonese decided to end his stay at Chelsea. Hence, he agreed to move to France, his country of birth, to make a fresh start. It also allowed Chelsea to free up their wage bill. Aubameyang joined Chelsea last year from FC Barcelona.
Decoding Aubameyang's performance at Chelsea
Aubameyang had a difficult time at Chelsea as Thomas Tuchel was the one who wanted him but he got sacked. Auba couldn't win the trust of Graham Potter or Frank Lampard. He featured in 15 Premier League matches but started in only five, netting once. Aubameyang scored twice in the Champions League group stage and made two assists but was omitted thereafter by Potter.
His performance for FC Barcelona
The 34-year-old joined FC Barcelona from Arsenal for free in last year's January window. Although he was in Spain for a short while, he made a solid impact. Aubameyang scored 11 times in 17 La Liga matches (A1). He also found the net twice in six Europa League clashes. In a period of trouble, Aubameyang showed tremendous character to lead the lines for Barcelona.
Four years at Arsenal
Aubameyang left Arsenal after four years. He joined Arsenal in January 2017. The 34-year-old netted 92 goals in 163 games, besides making 21 assists. He also bagged the FA Cup in 2020 with Arsenal. He had a sour end to his journey when Arsenal were willing to let him leave the club after stripping off his captaincy for a disciplinary issue.
A stellar stint at Borussia Dortmund
Aubameyang spent his best time at Borussia Dortmund as he scored goals for fun in the Bundesliga. Auba joined the club as an unproven talent and left the club as a fan favorite, such was his impact on the team. He netted 141 goals and made 36 assists in 213 appearances, becoming the eighth-highest goal-scorer for Dortmund. Aubameyang bagged the 2016-17 Bundesliga top-scorer award.
His numbers before the Dortmund stint
Aubameyang spent three seasons on loan from AC Milan at Dijon, Lille, and Monaco. He scored 14 goals combined and made seven assists. He joined French side Saint-Etienne next, spending three seasons. He scored 41 goals and made 25 assists before joining Dortmund.
A look at Aubameyang's trophy cabinet
Aubamyeng bagged the Coupe de la Ligue in the 2012-13 season with Saint-Etienne. He won the German Super Cup twice (2013-14 and 2014-15). The 34-year-old clinched the DFB-Pokal in the 2016-17 season. With Arsenal, he won the FA Cup, while at FC Barcelona he won La Liga (2022-23), despite playing one game and that too less than 10 minutes.
