Chelsea has finally found a striker to bolster their attack. The Blues secured a swap deal for Barcelona outcast Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Thursday, sending €14 million to the Spanish giants and Marcos Alonso.
🚨🚨 Pierre Aubameyang to Chelsea and Marcos Alonso to Barça: here we go! Full agreement completed. €14m fee to Barcelona. #DeadlineDay
More: Aubameyang will fly to London around 5pm! Two year deal + one more option.
Alonso in Spain to undergo medical and sign three year deal. pic.twitter.com/nILbmEk8G8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
There had been rumors swirling around of Chelsea bringing in another player in the final third, with Wilfried Zaha also being linked. But, Aubameyang is the man Todd Boehly and the board decided to sign.
While his best days are certainly behind him, Auba could be a viable asset to the Blues. He previously played for Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund many years back. There will be a sense of familiarity for the Gabon international. Perhaps he could thrive under the German again.
However, it's unknown how long Aubameyang could be out. A gang of burglars just raided his home a few days ago and broke his jaw. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries to Auba's family.
The 33-year-old has made just one appearance for Barcelona this term as a substitute, playing a mere eight minutes. It was always going to be tough for him to break into this squad after they signed Robert Lewandowski to be their talisman.
For Chelsea, signing a frontman was an absolute must. They've struggled immensely to score goals so far this season, netting just six times in five games. Raheem Sterling is their most lethal finisher right now and although he's got three goals, the Englishman misses far too many chances. Kai Havertz has also been practically non-existent up top.
Aubameyang was once a star for Arsenal and is obviously familiar with the Premier League. This could turn out to be a low-risk, high-reward addition for Chelsea.
As for Alonso, it was only a matter of time until he ended up at Camp Nou. The Spaniard made it clear he was keen on a move to Barca and with Reece James, Ben Chilwell, and Marc Cucurella being favored over him at both left and right back, all signs pointed to an exit.
We'll see if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can be the answer to Chelsea's striker woes.
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