Former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks set to have been handed a major lifeline at Chelsea after the appointment of Frank Lampard as caretaker boss.
Lampard's return to Stamford Bridge was confirmed by the club on Thursday, under 48 hours after he was spotted watching the Blues' 0-0 draw against Liverpool.
At that stage, a comeback to the club he was sacked by in January 2021 appeared unlikely, but things moved quickly on Wednesday after it was announced that he was talks with club chiefs over a return.
The 44-year-old will now take charge of the final nine Premier League games of this season, and the Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid.
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With Chelsea 14 points off the top four places, winning the Champions League will almost certainly prove to be the only way that the Blues can continue to play in the competition next season.
And one forgotten player could help them achieve that.
Aubameyang handed Chelsea boost
Aubameyang signed for Chelsea on deadline day last summer, with then manager Thomas Tuchel keen to acquire a centre forward for his squad.
He started one game for the Blues - the 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on September 6 - before the German boss was then sacked.
The Gabonese international featured prominently in the early days of Graham Potter's reign, scoring three goals in the next five matches.
But his game time dwindled after the World Cup, with the 33-year-old starting just one game since December.
He was also removed from Chelsea's 25-man Champions League squad to make way for new signings, and wasn't named in the matchday squad to take on Liverpool last Tuesday.
But the return of Lampard may give Aubameyang a new lease of life at Stamford Bridge.
In January 2021, The Athletic reported that the Englishman asked Chelsea to sign Aubameyang a year earlier, when the Gabon star had yet to sign a new contract with Arsenal.
The Blues were handed a two-window transfer ban in February 2019. However, it was reduced to one window on appeal, meaning the club could have signed players in the aforementioned window if they chose to.
But the Blues board did not sanction any new signings, which The Athletic claim contributed to 'growing frustration' from Lampard.
Over two years on, he could now utilise Aubameyang to help Chelsea finish the season on a strong note.
Topics: Chelsea, Frank Lampard, Arsenal, Premier League, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Ryan Smart