After a rather quiet start to the transfer window, marked by the arrival of Renan Lodi and Geoffrey Kondogbia, Olympique de Marseille have just struck a blow by attracting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into their nets. Third summer recruit of the Marseille club, the Gabonese striker will sign a contract in the coming hours which will run until 2026. Released by Chelsea, where his passage will not go down in history, the center forward will find the France ten years after leaving Saint-Étienne for Dortmund. With this bet, the Olympians hope that this transfer will work as well as that of Alexis Sanchez, free of any contract since July 1 and whose future is still uncertain, who scored 18 goals (in all competitions) with the Phocaeans last season.
It’s in the old jars…
For several seasons, Olympique de Marseille has had a flair for finding good players on the transfer market, such as goalkeeper Pau Lopez, central defender Chancel Mbemba, midfielder Amine Harit and Cengiz Ünder, but remains unable to permanently install a number 9 at the forefront of his attack. You have to go back to the 2016/2017 season to find a centre-forward who managed to score at least 20 goals during a Ligue 1 season in Marseille jerseys: Bafétimbi Gomis. Since then, no one has come out of the hat and has been able to help the club in its quest for a trophy, which has eluded OM for more than eleven years. Failing to find their providential man and while waiting for Vitinha to gain muscle, OM will continue what they know how to do best: revive the great players on the decline, without however taking too many risks.
If Aubameyang will not leave an unforgettable memory for supporters of Blues with his three small pawns scored and an assist delivered in 21 games, the former Arsenal striker still has some good leftovers and is quite capable of carrying his teammates in important moments. Like Alexis Sanchez, who has also had great European evenings, “PEA” has played in five editions of the Champions League. In addition to his experience, apart from this year – when he was recruited by Thomas Tuchel, his former coach at Dortmund, before the latter was fired a week after his arrival – the Gabonese striker has always planted at least 15 pawns per season since the 2014/2015 financial year. It would be utopian to hope that the 34-year-old former Saint-Étienne striker manages to repeat his Dortmund performances or those of his Arsenal debut, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now the third active player to have scored the most goals in the big five leagues (219 goals) behind Edinson Cavani and Robert Lewandowski.
219 – Most goals in the top 5 leagues among players currently in them:
🥇Robert Lewandowski – 335
🥈Edinson Cavani – 267
🥉Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 219TO? pic.twitter.com/UgHS6iMKP6
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) July 19, 2023
4-4-2 compatible but XXL salary
The one who has already celebrated his goals by putting on the Spiderman mask will also allow Marcelino, the new OM coach, to use it in his preferential 4-4-2. A device that should pose no problem for the striker since he has already evolved in this scheme on several occasions, notably at Arsenal with Alexandre Lacazette. To be able to align the Gabonese international, Olympique de Marseille certainly did not spend any transfer compensation, since his contract was terminated by Chelsea, but the black point lies in the salary of the former Arsenal player.. According to various sources, “PEA” should receive between 23 and 25 million euros during these three years. Colossal amounts that would make Aubameyang the best paid player in the club with 700,000 euros gross per month according to estimates, i.e. 150,000 euros more than Jordan Veretout, the current biggest salary in the locker room. Exorbitant prices which also reflect the difficulty of the Marseille club to align itself with the most high-sounding names of European attackers on the transfer market. In question in particular, the third preliminary round of the Champions League of Olympique de Marseille – whose first leg will be played on the weekend of August 8-9 – which makes the transfer window of the Olympian management delicate and obliges him to to opt for affordable profiles.
If the potential salary can make your incisors squeak, the native of Laval would have already joined Wednesday evening the Marseille group which is on internship in Germany. His medical examination would be scheduled for this Thursday. If the planets align, it might even be possible to spot Aubameyang on July 22 in the friendly against KAS Eupen or on July 27 against Waalwijk. Just to make the nets tremble under his new colors and to stall a first somersault to reassure skeptics about his advanced age.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang approaches OM
#pari #Aubameyang
