- Striker has signed from Barcelona
- Is nursing a jaw injury
- Could debut this week
WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues bolstered their attacking ranks on transfer deadline day when bringing former Arsenal frontman Aubameyang back to England from Barcelona in a £10 million ($12m) deal. He is, however, nursing a jaw injury after being attacked during a burglary and is waiting on a green light to make his Premier League debut for new employers.
WHAT THEY SAID: Tuchel has said of efforts to find the 33-year-old a protective face covering that will allow him to take to the field: “Auba will train on Sunday but I cannot tell you yet if it’s full contact or individually. We’ll need to see. He has the mask and the doctors tell me the mask is good and he feels comfortable with it.
“So he would be okay but we need to check it and we need to check it with no contact, half-contact, and then full contact. We need to see how he feels with it. It’s too early to make a prediction but he’ll be in training.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Aubameyang previously scored 92 goals for Arsenal in 163 appearances, with 68 of those efforts coming in the Premier League – allowing him to land a share of the Golden Boot in 2018-19.
AND WHAT'S MORE: Chelsea are looking for inspiration in the final third after netting just eight goals through six fixtures this season, with Aubameyang preparing to join the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz in that department.
STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Chelsea Football ClubWHAT NEXT FOR AUBAMEYANG? As a proven Premier League performer, the Gabon international will be hoping to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge – with there a chance that a bow for the Blues could be made in Saturday's derby date with west London neighbours Fulham.