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Star striker reports: “I didn’t recognize Tuchel”
January 8, 2025 – 11:51 amReading time: 2 minutes
At BVB, Thomas Tuchel turned Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into a world-class striker. They met again at Chelsea FC. But their time together there was only a short one.
AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal FC, Barcelona FC, Chelsea FC, Olympique Marseille. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang undoubtedly played for some big clubs. It was also thanks to Thomas Tuchel that the goalscorer embarked on this career. He made his breakthrough in Dortmund under the German coach. Aubameyang became Bundesliga top scorer with 31 goals in the 2016/17 season and was also a key player in BVB’s DFB Cup victory in the same year. From Dortmund he then went to London to Arsenal, where he stayed for four years.
Tuchel and Aubameyang met again in early autumn 2022. Because Tuchel was the coach of Chelsea FC and signed the Gabon national striker for his offensive. But their time together with the “Blues” came to an abrupt end. Just six days after Aubameyang’s arrival, Tuchel was fired. The two played just one game together: a 0-1 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
“I remember that day because I didn’t recognize him (Thomas Tuchel, editor’s note). He wasn’t the man I knew a few years ago,” said Aubameyang in an interview with “The Athletic “. “He was the only one who really understood me at Dortmund. At Chelsea I had the feeling that something was wrong. I had the feeling that he wasn’t enjoying his time.”
Aubameyang based his realization on Tuchel’s behavior after the defeat in Zagreb. “Normally he would have freaked out, but he just came into the locker room and left. I just thought, ‘That’s not the guy I know. Very strange.’ He was fired the next day.”
Tuchel’s successor was Graham Potter, but he had to leave six months later. Aubameyang moved to Marseille in the summer of 2023, Tuchel’s path led to FC Bayern.