Winners and losers of Aubameyang joining Chelsea
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 1 Sept 2022 15:54 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are on the verge of signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona in a deal that will see Marcos Alonso head the other way.
The two sides have been locked in negotiations for a number of weeks but a breakthrough was reached on deadline day and both clubs have finally got their respective targets.
The fee is believed to be around €14 million and Aubameyang will pen a two-year deal with the option of a third, while Alonso will sign until 2025.
With both teams reaching a compromise to conduct a mutually-beneficial deal, FootballTransfers analyses the winners and the losers of the transfer.
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Winners
The biggest winner out of this deal - and arguably the entire transfer window - is undoubtedly Barcelona for getting the utmost out of Aubameyang in every way possible.
The 33-year-old joined on an 18-month contract in January, costing Barca just €2m in wages as he scored 13 goals in the second half of last season to finish as the club's joint-top scorer.
And just half-a-year after signing for free, the club have managed to avoid paying him the €20m in wages he would be due this season, instead receiving a significant fee as well as a long-term target in Alonso.
Thomas Tuchel will also consider himself a winner in the deal after finally securing a forward and a proven Premier League goalscorer, one who he knows well from his time at Dortmund.
The Chelsea boss has struggled to create an efficient attacking system in recent months but the presence of an elite number nine up front will fill his side with confidence.
Aubameyang will also be content with how the past few months have gone for him, having found himself exiled from Arsenal less than a year ago.
The former Gabon international was in danger of seeing his career fizzle out after his downturn with the Gunners but he has now secured a lucrative, long-term contract as a key player for a Premier League club.
Losers
One person that could suffer from the arrival of Aubameyang is Kai Havertz, with the German set to lose his spot leading the line for Chelsea.
Havertz has featured as a false nine under Tuchel this season but he has scored just once in his last 13 games and his underwhelming performances forced Chelsea's hand in buying a striker.
Another party that could have a sour taste in their mouth from this deal is Arsenal, after seeing their former captain join a bitter rival just months after they paid a reported £7m to terminate his deal.
Aubameyang has undergone a complete turnaround to revitalise his career, perhaps leaving Arsenal fans questioning why he couldn't provide the same impact for them towards the end of his time with the Gunners.
While Barca will ultimately have no regrets from the deal, they have lost a reliable squad player in Aubameyang, all without being able to replace him, with Memphis Depay and Ferran Torres the only real backups to Robert Lewandowski.
Read more about: La Liga, Premier League, Barcelona, Kai Havertz, Marcos Alonso, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
