Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a striker for Chelsea, has signed for Marseille.
After arriving at Chelsea from Barcelona in a £10.3m transfer last September, the 34-year-old Gabon forward scored just three goals in 22 games.
Whether or not Marseille has paid a transfer fee for the French national’s services has not been disclosed by either club.
After spending four years at Arsenal beginning in 2018, Aubameyang will leave for Barcelona in January 2022, marking his second departure from the Premier League in less than two years.
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During his six months in Spain, he scored 13 goals in 23 appearances, but he was unable to repeat that success under three different managers during his season at Stamford Bridge.
After arriving at the conclusion of the summer transfer window, the 2015 African Footballer of the Year made only one appearance under Thomas Tuchel, his former boss at Borussia Dortmund, before the German was fired and replaced by Graham Potter.
After a promising October in which he scored three times in three games, Aubameyang has yet to find the back of the net again.
After a series of January additions, including attackers Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, he was left out of Chelsea’s Champions League roster for the knockout rounds.
After Potter’s resignation in April, Aubameyang was reinstated to the starting lineup by interim manager Frank Lampard, but the squad struggled under his leadership and lost 3-1 against Arsenal in early May.
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Aubameyang was pulled at halftime and never played for the West London team again after having only nine total touches in the first 45 minutes (four of which came off kick-offs).
After beginning his career in France with Dijon, then moving on to Lille, Monaco, and St. Etienne—where he won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2013—he is now back in Ligue 1.
There has been a lot of turnover at Chelsea this summer, with Aubameyang becoming the latest player to leave under new boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Mateo Kovacic (Croatian midfielder), Kai Havertz (American defender), and Mason Mount (American forward) have all signed with Manchester City, while Edouard Mendy (French goalkeeper) and Kalidou Koulibaly (French defender) have gone to Al-Ahli (Saudi Pro League side).
Midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic have signed with AC Milan, while former captain Cesar Azpilicueta has joined Atletico Madrid. N’Golo Kante has also moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Ittihad.
Only three players (Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson, 22, and Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel, 18), all from different clubs, have joined the Blues this season.
What’s with the omens surrounding Chelsea’s ninth jersey?
Tuchel had quipped that the number nine shirt was “cursed – nobody wants to touch it” when referring to Chelsea players not long before Aubameyang signed and took that number.
The last 12 players to wear the jersey have failed to create a lasting impression at Stamford Bridge. This includes three club record purchases up front, as well as a midfielder and a defender.
Some of the strikers who have worn the jersey for just one season and failed to score double digits in the league are Chris Sutton (1), Mateja Kezman (4), Franco di Santo (0), Radamel Falcao (1), Gonzalo Higuain (5), Romelu Lukaku (8), and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (1).
Fewer than 30 Premier League games were played using the number nine when Steve Sidwell and Khalid Boulahrouz were on the roster.
