Aubameyang and five Premier League stars who could leave after one season

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 30 Apr 2023 08:45 BST
• 5 min read

Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng - alongside one or two Chelsea teammates! - look likely to leave one short season after signing for their new club. Who else in the Premier League is in the same boat?

Chelsea have spent more than €600 million on new players since Todd Boehly replaced Roman Abramovich in ownership of the club last May, but they find themselves 11th on the table under their third manager since.

The Blues could lay claim to five entries on this list, but not every player will be leaving their club after one short season because they flopped, with some likely to prove impossible to hold onto due to how quick an impact they made.

READ: EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea put ENTIRE squad up for sale

FootballTransfers looks at 10 of the most likely movers this summer after just single season at their clubs…

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang was, alongside Denis Zakaria, the last signing of the Thomas Tuchel era at Chelsea, with player and manager both excited to be reunited having won DFB Cup with Borussia Dortmund together in 2017.

But Aubameyang had played less than an hour of football before Tuchel was sacked and replaced by Graham Potter, and he has festered on the bench since. Barcelona reportedly want to re-sign the player they sold last summer for €12m on a free, and Chelsea might just acquiesce.

Matheus Nunes

While Aubameyang hasn't been given the chance to shine this season, Matheus Nunes has impressed and then some at Wolves. A €45m acquisition from Sporting CP last August, Nunes boasts 164 duels won and 72 accurate long balls from his 30 games this season.

READ: Fabrizio Romano: The two midfielders Liverpool are looking to sign

Liverpool have identified the Portugal international as one of their primary central midfield targets having publicly pulled out of the race for Jude Bellingham, although they face competition from Manchester United and Chelsea.

Kalvin Philips

Things simply haven't worked out for Kalvin Phillips since he swapped Leeds for Manchester City for a potential £45m last summer. Granted, he arrived carrying a shoulder injury, but the England international would still have expected to have made a Premier League start before now.

Rodri may be a paragon in his position, but the Spaniard has even had John Stones - a converted centre-back - for company in defensive midfield this season. Phillips's days at the Etihad look numbered, and Aston Villa are reportedly ready to offer him a way out.

Romeo Lavia

Rodri had a viable understudy at the Etihad in Romeo Lavia, but with Pep Guardiola unable to offer the young Belgian regular first-team football, he joined Southampton in a £14m deal in July. Since then he has looked like a Rolls Royce in a struggling team.

City have a £40m buyback clause on the 19-year-old, but it only activates in 2024 - by which time United or Chelsea might have beaten them to his signature, especially if the Saints were to go down.

Aaron Hickey

Aaron Hickey is another who has taken little time to impress, the Scotland international slotting straight into Brentford's first XI since his €16.5m arrival from Bologna.

The 20-year-old's ability to play left- or right-back, be it in a flat back four or as a wing-back, has reportedly caught the attention of Man City and United, with Arsenal also interested in Hickey as a replacement for his fellow Scotland international, Kieran Tierney.