It's fair to say that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's switch to Chelsea hasn't exactly worked out for either party. However, the former Arsenal talisman could be handed an unlikely reprieve by the Blues' new caretaker manager, Frank Lampard.
Aubameyang has made just five first-team appearances since the turn of the year and was once again excluded from the Chelsea squad by first-team coach Bruno Saltor, who took charge of Tuesday night's drab 0-0 draw with Liverpool after Graham Potter was sacked.
And while few would have backed the former Barcelona ace to salvage his Stamford Bridge career, the arrival of Lampard on a deal until the end of the season could give the 33-year-old an opportunity to muscle his way back into the first-team fold.
A previous report from The Athletic - which was released shortly after Lampard's initial reign at Chelsea came to an end back in 2021 - revealed that the Blues legend was keen on acquiring Aubameyang when he was in the midst of a contract stand-off at Arsenal in 2020. Lampard's request, however, was vetoed by the Chelsea board, who instead pushed ahead with a deal to sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
Although Lampard didn't get his man back then, he will finally get the chance to work with Aubameyang during his stint as the club's caretaker boss - if he elects to reintegrate the Gabon international back into the squad.
Since signing a two-year deal with the Blues in the summer, Aubameyang has scored just three times in 19 appearances and has become a peripheral figure in recent months.
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And it's not just on the pitch that the striker has disappointed, either. His decision to fly back to his former club Barcelona for last month's El Clasico did not go down well, with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claiming that the relationship between Aubameyang and Chelsea had been 'torn apart', with the Londoners ready to rip up his contract at the end of the season.
It remains to be seen, though, if the club would press ahead with those plans if Aubameyang is given a platform to impress by Lampard between now and the end of the campaign.
Even if Aubameyang is utilised by Lampard over the coming months, the former Borussia Dortmund star will not be able to play a part in the forthcoming Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid after he was excluded from the club's European squad list.
Aubameyang could be in line to feature on Saturday, when Lampard will return to the dugout for the first time since he was sacked by Everton in January when Chelsea host Wolves in the Premier League.
