Aubameyang to Chelsea: Inbound striker will be playing with Arsenal tattoo on his arm | OneFootball

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is closing on a return to the Premier League with Chelsea.

Aubameyang only left England at the start of 2022 to sign for Barcelona, but his return is all but confirmed as he reunites with Thomas Tuchel.

The 33-year-old spent four years leading the line for Arsenal before falling out of favour and making the move to the Nou Camp earlier this year, but worked under Tuchel before that at Borussia Dortmund.

Aubameyang thrived under Tuchel during their time together in Germany and his numbers in front of goal were enough to convince Arsenal to part with some £56 million to sign him in January 2018.

His time as a Gunner ended rather sourly as he fell out of favour at the club and left after being suspended from the first-team, but Chelsea look set to take a chance on him, with Fabrizio Romano stating a full agreement has been reached.

The transfer will see Chelsea wing-back Marcos Alonso head the other way and adds some much needed firepower to the Blues’ attacking line, particularly following the departure of Timo Werner earlier in the window.

Eyebrows have been raised over Chelsea‘s decision to sign Aubameyang, particularly due to how things ended between himself and Arsenal upon signing for Barcelona.

It is clear, though, that the Gabonese forward is a player who is highly regarded by Tuchel, from their time together in Dortmund between 2015 and 2017.

For all the fanfare surrounding Aubameyang and how he might prove problematic for Chelsea – or at the very least merely a short-term fix – there is no denying his obvious abilities in front of goal. When on it, the man is a machine and ruthless finisher, blessed with awareness, leadership and technical ability.

There is also no denying, though, that Aubameyang still feels a significant connection to Chelsea’s London rivals and his former employers Arsenal, despite it ending the way it did. The reason for that? He has an Arsenal tattoo on his arm.

Yep, seriously. Take a look for yourself below.

What a twisted love affair, eh?

Like any good blockbuster movie romance, things are complicated in the love triangle that has emerged and will continue to take shape between Aubameyang, Arsenal and Chelsea.

The tattoo depicts Aubameyang walking out onto the pitch at the Emirates with his two children, decked out in Gunners uniform. He’ll now be taking to the pitch every week in the blue strip of their rivals.

While the idea is a brilliant one and incredibly wholesome, it is admittedly rather funny to know that he’ll now be turning out for Chelsea every week with an ode to Arsenal on his arm.

The break up was a messy one, but it’s clear that there will always be a mutual love between Arsenal and Aubameyang. After all, he did bag 92 goals in 162 games for the club and left having served as captain and lifted the FA Cup.

But, all will be forgiven if he can rediscover the form he showed under Tuchel at Dortmund and find the back of the net with regularity for Chelsea, who are banking on the 33-year-old to add a much-needed clinical edge to their attack.