13 January 2023 , 06:00
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn't get a kick in Chelsea 's bruising 2-1 defeat to Fulham and it showed exactly what Graham Potter thinks of the struggling striker.
The Blues suffered their eighth Premier League loss of a wretched campaign at Craven Cottage, piling more pressure on the under-fire Potter. As for Aubameyang, though, he's stuck at Stamford Bridge and looks set to watch the much of the season from the bench, despite interest from Barcelona - the team he left six months ago.
Unfortunately for the 33-year-old striker, however, La Liga rules permit him from playing for Barca again this season, having already been de-registered by the Blaugrana. Aubameyang now has to make do at Stamford Bridge, where it's clear that his boss isn't his biggest fan and the club have just signed a new forward in Joao Felix - whose West London derby wasn't much better.
Despite being desperate for a goal after going 2-1 down to Fulham in the 73rd minute, Potter turned to four other players instead of the former Arsenal captain. Defender Marc Cucurella, midfielders Conor Gallagher and Charney Chukwuemeka, and Hakim Ziyech all came on as the Blues chased an equaliser, but their efforts were all in vain.
Aubameyang last played in the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City last Thursday, having been omitted from the squad when the two sides met again in the FA Cup this past Sunday. The Chelsea's manager put his No.9's absence down to injury, but he was back involved and available to feature tonight.
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Arsenal legend Paul Merson reckons that Aubameyang is "done," writing in his Sky Sports column: "I think they will cut their ties with him. As soon as you are sub-subbing a 30-something player, I think that is probably the end. Maybe you can get away with it with a younger player, but in football it's one of those unwritten rules.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang watched Chelsea lose 2-1 to Fulham from the bench (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)Have your say! What's next for Aubameyang? Join the debate in the comments section.
"It's a don't-do. But Potter did it with him at 33 and, for me, I think he's done. It's an example of why recruitment is such a big problem for Chelsea. They have brought a couple of players in already and it looks like they are going to have a go in the transfer window. They have to. The top four looks very far away right now but there's a long way to go."
Post-match, a dejected Potter bemoaned to BT Sport : "It sums up where we are at the moment - everything that can go wrong, is going wrong. Even though I thought the boys kept going, Fulham didn't have too much in that period and we had some opportunities ourselves but in the end it is a disappointing evening for us."