Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's broad smile is unmistakable – and it has been seen often during the forward's early weeks as a Chelsea player.
Signed from Barcelona on transfer deadline day in a deal worth around £14million, Aubameyang was viewed as the missing piece of the puzzle for Thomas Tuchel, the player that would transform Chelsea from a somewhat stagnant possession-based side under the German to an effective attacking team.
The two had worked together at Borussia Dortmund and remained close. Yet one training session and 59 minutes of match action were all they shared at Stamford Bridge. Less than a week after Aubameyang arrived in west London, news came that Tuchel had parted ways with Chelsea.
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It was a shock to those around the first team; Tuchel certainly didn't see it coming and neither did the players. “Everyone knows the relationship that I have with Thomas,” said Aubameyang a week later. “I think he [Tuchel] was a bit frustrated and sad. I will try to talk to him as soon as possible.
“It’s obviously sad when someone leaves the club and obviously, I only saw him for a few days. But this is football and when you play football you have to adapt quickly and in some moments in the season, this can happen."
Following the departure of Tuchel, many a pundit questioned the wisdom of co-owner, chairman and interim sporting director Todd Boehly for bringing Aubameyang to Chelsea. Yet those close to the American billionaire have insisted the 33-year-old wasn't brought in solely on the behest of the departed German coach.
Chelsea required a goalscorer, no matter who was in charge. And in Aubameyang, they gained one proven at the very top level of the European game, as evidenced over the past fortnight.
Having used the international break to fully recover from a jaw injury sustained during an assault at his home in Barcelona prior to his transfer, Aubameyang struck his first Chelsea goal against Crystal Palace. He followed that up with another in the home victory over Milan in the Champions League and a third arrived in the 2-0 win at San Siro on Tuesday evening.
“We’ve not done anything special, it’s all down to him," Graham Potter, the man who replaced Tuchel as head coach, explained. "We spoke before that he came from a difficult summer so it’s been a case of building up his match minutes up and the more he gets the stronger he gets, and the more we understand him the more he understands us. Everyone knows his quality and it’s great for him. He looks like he is enjoying his football."
That is undeniably true; the trademark Aubameyang smile gives it away. And it's not only been seen on the pitch with staff at Cobham impressed with how quickly the former Gabon international has adapted to life at the club.
Aubameyang is said to be a quietly confident character in the dressing room – and there has been no hint of a repeat of the disciplinary issues that resulted in Mikel Arteta sanctioning his exit from Arsenal at the start of the year. He is viewed as approachable and has gone above and beyond with his pre- and post-match media duties and has also been supportive of the club's own content output.
Not even the No.9 shirt that is viewed by many supporters as being cursed has slowed Aubameyang down. His goalscoring quality evidently supersedes any supernatural chicanery.
Over the past decade, Chelsea have enjoyed great success when signing experienced forwards on the (relative) cheap. Samuel Eto'o scored 12 goals during the 2013/14 campaign having arrived on a free transfer. Demba Ba scored key goals after joining from Newcastle United for just £7million in January 2013.
And Olivier Giroud, undoubtedly the most successful of the bunch, enjoyed wins in the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League after signing from Arsenal – coincidently to make room for Aubameyang to sign for the Gunners from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
Aubameyang will join that list if he continues to flourish under Potter over the remainder of the campaign. And Arsenal's loss – via a brief stopover in Barcelona – has very much been Chelsea's gain.
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