Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been dropped from Chelsea’s Champions League squad, with head coach Graham Potter bringing in new recruits Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk.
The dramatic transfer to ditch striker Aubameyang displays the striker’s declining standing with the Blues, for whom he final began a recreation in November.
Potter warned on Thursday there can be “awkward” conversations forward as he finalised his group for the rest of Chelsea’s European marketing campaign, and leaving out 33-year-old Aubameyang might have been on his thoughts on the time.
The previous Arsenal and Barcelona frontman has scored solely three targets this season in 18 appearances, of which 10 have been begins, and his absence leaves Chelsea with out an out-and-out striker.
Aubameyang began in all six of Chelsea’s Champions League group video games, scoring residence and away towards Milan.
Potter has as an alternative put his belief in Kai Havertz, who has spent a lot of his profession as an attacking midfielder, plus attackers Joao Felix, who’s on mortgage from Atletico Madrid, and Mudryk, who arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Raheem Sterling, named as a midfielder on Chelsea’s squad checklist, is one other front-line possibility.
Chelsea face Borussia Dortmund on the last-16 stage of the Champions League, with the away leg on February 15 and the house recreation set for March 7.
Successful that competitors appears to be like to be membership’s greatest alternative of getting again into the Champions League for subsequent season, given Chelsea are flagging in tenth place within the Premier League.
Joao Felix and Mudryk have been joined by fellow January signing Fernandez in Potter’s squad for Europe, however 4 gamers acquired throughout the mid-season switch window miss out: Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana and Noni Madueke.
Chelsea, like all golf equipment, have been solely allowed so as to add three new names to the squad that contested the group stage, with not more than 25 gamers allowed.
One other notable inclusion was Hakim Ziyech, the winger who appeared set to affix Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day, just for the deal to break down late on.