Chelsea players will be confused as to why striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not getting into Graham Potter’s starting line-up despite goals proving a real issue for the Blues, thinks Ian Wright. The pundit and former Arsenal striker is struggling to comprehend how the 33-year-old continues to be overlooked during a particularly dry spell for Chelsea’s attackers.
In 2023, the Blues have racked up just four goals across 11 matches in all competitions. During this period, the Gabon international has made just five substitute appearances, and was omitted from the squad altogether for the matches against Fulham, West Ham and Southampton.
Following the club’s £320million splurge in the January transfer window, Aubameyang was also axed from their Champions League squad to make room for new signings Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix. Wright has suggested one of the possible explanations for his lack of playing opportunities may be that Potter has a personal issue with Aubameyang.
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The Match of the Day regular has urged the Chelsea manager to put any issue behind him and put his faith in the striker to rectify his side’s goalscoring problem. “Whatever the problem is with Aubameyang, George Graham didn't have a problem not speaking to a player for months but if he needed him he's in,” Wright told Premier League Productions.
“I don't know what's gone on but Chelsea need a striker, they've got one and he's not playing. You wouldn't say it to the manager but the lads will talk about it.
“You'd talk to Aubameyang and say ‘we can't understand why you're not playing’. You'd be saying that to him because the Chelsea players know they need him right now. They'll be saying that.
“You don't know what's happened with the boss, you don't know why he's not playing but the players themselves will be saying ‘how come you're not playing, what's going on?’”
Signed for £12million last summer, Aubameyang has made 18 appearances for the London outfit this season, scoring just three goals in the process. His most profitable outings came in the Champions League before the World Cup break, where he started all six group games and scored in both meetings with AC Milan.
His last start under Potter came against former side Arsenal at the start of November, which the Blues lost 1-0. Since then, the Blues have scored a measly six goals in 15 outings.
Pressure continues to mount on Potter to get the expensively assembled squad out of their current rut. Wight believes Chelsea have the players to turn the tide, most notably in the form of returning full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell, who are adequately capable of providing the service for Aubameyang if he is brought back in from the cold.
“They've got a lot of creativity when it comes to Chelsea,” he added. “What would be the point of having those two guys (James and Chilwell) who do attack with gusto, they get round those inverted wingers when they can to put the ball into who?
“Now whatever you're saying about Aubameyang, whatever they think about Aubameyang, he is a goalscorer. If you get them two back fit, you get him up there all of a sudden Reece James has got someone to whip it into, Chilwell has got someone to whip it into.
“Then you've got (Enzo) Fernandez who can find him over the top. There's so many things where I was thinking this could go right for them.”
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