Aubameyang vs Potter & five Chelsea stars who fell out with their manager

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 4 Apr 2023 00:31 BST
• 5 min read

In the wake of Chelsea sacking Graham Potter, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a cheeky dig at his former boss when he ‘liked’ the Instagram status of the Blues announcing his departure.

It had been clear for weeks that the pair did not see eye to eye.

Having arrived at the end of the summer transfer window when Thomas Tuchel was still in charge, Aubameyang’s prospects of first-team football were hit when Potter was appointed as the new manager a matter of days later following the sacking of the German.

MORE: How Chelsea would line up under Nagelsmann

Their relationship took a further nosedive after the close of the January transfer window when it was announced that Aubameyang had been cut from Chelsea’s squad for the Champions League, prompting suggestions that he could leave for MLS.

No deal was concluded and Aubameyang has cut a frustrated figure at Stamford Bridge since.

MORE: Chelsea dodge world-record pay out after Potter sacked

He is certainly not the first Chelsea player in recent seasons to have a frosty relationship with his boss. Indeed, having been under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Tuchel in the recent past, the Blues have had some of the most fiery managers in the game.

Here are four more Chelsea players who couldn’t get on with their boss.

William Gallas

Gallas had a spectacular falling out with Jose Mourinho back in 2006 as he tried to force a move to Arsenal.

Indeed, Chelsea even claimed that Gallas had threatened to deliberately score own goals if he was not allowed to leave. The player has since rejected these claims.

Previously, he had complained about having to play right-back under Claudio Ranieri.

Although Gallas got his wish and moved to Arsenal, his most famous moment at the Gunners was having a sulk after a draw in Birmingham in 2008 following a match that cost his side the title.

Eden Hazard

Another player who did not see things the same way as Mourinho did. The Portuguese claimed that Hazard is “not the kind of player to sacrifice himself for the team” back in 2014.

The Belgium star remained at the club and later claimed that it took him just a week to improve as a player under Antonio Conte, who was Mourinho’s successor.”

Diego Costa

But Conte wasn’t the type of manager to get on with everyone either – as Tottenham have recently found to their cost.

The Italian was sacked in 2018 “for his alienation of several players and a complete breakdown in communication with the club's board”, according to Sky Sports.

One of the players that Conte failed to get on with was bullish Spain international striker Diego Costa, who received a text message from the Italian in July to inform him that he was not in his plans.

“I've never had a problem with the fans. My problem was not with the crowd, it was with that coach. I left in bad terms with that manager, I left a champion for the second time, and he didn't count on me,” he complained during an October 2022 interview.

Christian Pulisic

When Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea, it was reported that he had fallen out with a string of players in the squad. Although there were plenty to back the German, the silence of certain first-team members was telling.

Among those who were left frustrated by Tuchel was Pulisic, whose frosty relationship with the manager was revealed in his book ‘Christian Pulisic: My Journey So Far.

In it, he reveals his anger at being dropped for the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid in 2021.

"Then on match day of the second semi, Tuchel tells me he's changed his mind and he's going with Kai [Havertz]. I honestly was dumbfounded and very disappointed. I thought that I'd earned a start and, most importantly, he had assured me previously I was going to start," he complained.

Hakim Ziyech, Armando Broja and Conor Gallagher were among the others that it is claimed struggled to relate to Tuchel.