Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has lifted the lid on his emotions after Thomas Tuchel was sacked as Chelsea’s head coach last week.
The 33-year-old signed under the 49-year-old on Deadline Day from Barcelona, but less than a week later, Tuchel was no longer in charge.
Aubameyang worked with him at Borussia Dortmund, a clear factor in his decision to make the switch back to the capital despite only moving to Spain from Arsenal in January.
But Tuchel has now gone, leaving Aubameyang no doubt slightly perplexed, despite reports claiming the new owners wanted the Gabon international regardless of the German’s future at Chelsea.
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Aubameyang made his debut in Tuchel’s final game in charge against Dinamo Zagreb last week, before making his first home appearance on Wednesday night during their 1-1 draw against FC Salzburg.
He was questioned over whether he had spoken to Tuchel since his departure - he has not - and expressed his sadness of Chelsea’s decision to relieve him of his duties.
Aubameyang told reporters at full-time: “I haven’t spoken to him yet. I think he was a bit frustrated and sad but I will try to talk to him soon. It has been some crazy weeks for all of us I think.
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“That’s part of life, we have to adapt. Everyone knows the relationship I have with Thomas.
"It is always sad when someone leaves the club. I only saw him for a few days but this is football.
“When you play football you sometimes have to adapt very quickly to moments like this that can happen in a season.”
It was a night that ended in disappointment for Graham Potter in his first game in charge, one where they needed a win but it didn’t come to fruition.
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They now sit bottom of Group E and have work to do if they want to progress into the knockouts stages.
Aubameyang still isn’t fully fit, wearing a specially-fitted mask following a broken jaw, and he offered a fitness update, as well as an assessment on the draw in the capital.
He added: “I am a bit frustrated about the result. We played well and, unfortunately, we needed to score a few more goals to win the game.
“I need more time to recover from my injury. I am not 100 per cent. It is not easy to play with a mask and injury but hopefully, I will get to 100 per cent as soon as possible.”
On Potter, Aubameyang gave his verdict: “I think he is a person who is really positive and with a great character. We will try to learn with him. We want to win as soon as possible. No, (it won’t take long to adapt). I think his idea is very clear so I think it is going to be easy.”
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He continued: “I think it takes time to adapt to each other as well but it is going to be okay. When you play for Chelsea you need results as soon as possible. That’s why I am frustrated today.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Football
