Aubameyang is back! Striker could have Chelsea future under Lampard

James Shearman

• 8 Apr 2023 17:15 BST
• 3 min read

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returned to the Chelsea team on Saturday as Frank Lampard's side lost 1-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.

Aubameyang had been out of the side since the Blues' 2-0 defeat to Spurs in February prior to Lampard's return.

But Chelsea's caretaker manager has soon realised that the former Arsenal man could be an important player for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

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Lampard opted with Kai Havertz up front to start the game, in keeping with Graham Potter's team selection in recent weeks.

The German, who was signed by Lampard ahead of the 2020-21 season, had another poor afternoon in a blue shirt and was replaced by Aubameyang in the 68th minute.

Could Aubameyang have Chelsea future?

Having signed for Thomas Tuchel on deadline day of the summer transfer window, Aubameyang never got a chance to perform under his former Borussia Dortmund boss.

He did feature early on in Potter's tenure at the west London club, though, starting and scoring three times in October.

But he soon fell out of the starting lineup, and the matchday squad altogether, even being removed from the Champions League squad for the knockout rounds.

Had Potter kept his job at Stamford Bridge until the end of the season, the forward may never have been seen in a Chelsea shirt again.

But Lampard decided to bring the Gabonese striker back into the fold on Saturday, replacing Havertz in the second half.

And it wouldn't come as a surprise to see him start in the next league game.

Out of form and short of match sharpness, at least Aubameyang is a natural goalscorer - something Chelsea do not otherwise have. Havertz has had enough chances to prove that statement to be untrue, and hasn't.

With 8 Premier League games left of the season, expect the 33-year-old to have the chance to prove his worth to Chelsea, or even to another club ahead of the transfer window.