‘Chelsea were a complete mess when I joined – and one manager disrespected me’
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says Chelsea were ‘a mess’ during his brief spell at Stamford Bridge and claims he was ‘disrespected’ by a former manager. Chelsea signed the former Arsenal captain from Barcelona in the summer of 2022 but he left less than a year later having scored just three goals for the club.
![[Chelsea FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1439459802.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Aubameyang had become a lesser force during his final months at Arsenal and failed to rediscover his goalscoring boots in west London. His efforts were not helped by the fact Thomas Tuchel – the manager he played under at Borussia Dortmund and who brought him to Stamford Bridge – was sacked just five days after he arrived at the club.
![[Dinamo Zagreb v Chelsea FC: Group E - UEFA Champions League]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1421355242.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Chelsea hired Graham Potter but the ex-Brighton boss repeatedly overlooked Aubameyang, even omitting the former Golden Boot winner from his Champions League squad. ‘That is when I started to say, “OK, this is very disrespectful”,’ Aubameyang told The Athletic. ‘They tried to send me on loan to America. I said: “No chance”.
![[Arsenal FC v Eintracht Frankfurt: Group F - UEFA Europa League]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1190692139.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘I felt p***ed off. From that point, I said, “The season is done for me already”. I just went to training to maintain fitness; I knew I was not going to play.’. Aubameyang made his Chelsea debut in Tuchel’s final game in charge, ignoring medical advice to start the Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
![[Leicester City v West Ham United - Premier League]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2187517075_03a69e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘When you arrive somewhere (new), you want to show straight away you’re involved,’ Aubameyang said. ‘It was the worst game of my life, but I did it because I had to play. ‘I remember that day because I didn’t recognise him (Tuchel). It was not the guy I knew a few years ago. We had a close relationship.
