OM: French media weigh in on Aubameyang's return | OneFootball

Aubameyang

Soon, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will officially be unveiled as an OM player, just one year after his departure. The French press is already offering their take on his return.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back in Marseille. After a year at Al-Qadsiah, the Gabonese striker returns to OM as a free agent. At 36, the former Arsenal man is determined to mentor Marseille's young talents, and, who knows, deliver just as much as he did during his first spell at the club.

The Gabon international’s comeback is already sparking plenty of discussion and debate in the French media.

L’Équipe: "At 36, the Laval native is no longer at his physical peak, but he’s described as being in excellent shape and now knows how to optimize his efforts. (…) Aubameyang played his last match for Al-Qadsiah on May 30 (a 3-1 win against Al-Ittihad), more than two months ago, and has continued training on his own. (…) He’s set for a central striker role, as a ‘number 1 bis’, and will be competing with Amine Gouiri, who currently holds a slight edge."

Eurosport: "Aubameyang doesn’t necessarily look like a guaranteed starter for his OM return. (…) Able to play as a centre-forward or on the left, he definitely has arguments to be more than just a backup, but it’s hard to view him as a core member of the starting eleven. That’s exactly what makes his signing so symbolic. It marks a clear step up for Marseille’s attacking options, which haven’t looked this deep in quite some time."

France 24: "An undisputed starter in 2023-2024, this time he arrives as Amine Gouiri’s backup, who, after a strong six months, has earned the right to start next season as the number one striker. And while the former Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Saint-Étienne forward could also fill in on the left, he’ll face competition from Igor Paixao there. (…) At 36, do his legs still have the speed for repeated sprints? A year ago, they did, and his goal-scoring instincts allowed him to do a lot with little, both in Ligue 1 and the Europa League. But this season, the stakes are higher, with the Champions League on the horizon."

Back in superstar mode, Aubameyang now faces the hefty challenge of proving himself on the pitch.