Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set for a fresh challenge in French Ligue 1 after his nightmare spell with Chelsea in Premier League.
Olympique Marseille have completed the signing of the 34-year-old and have officially unveiled the player ahead of the upcoming 2023/24 French Ligue 1 season.
Aubameyang will hope to reset his mangled career as he makes a return to France – his place of birth and where he groomed his career to enviable heights.
Futballnews understands Auba has penned a three-year contract with the Ligue 1 side and have three years to prove his critics wrong and return to shape as a top striker.
It is understood Olympique Marseille have parted ways with one of their biggest attacking midfielders, Dimitri Payet, after six years with the club.
The French attacker and former Newcastle player made over 300 appearances for the club, scoring 78 goals with 99 assists and will be handing the baton to Aubameyang who will be expected to fill the void created by his exit.
It is understood that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is leaving Chelsea on a free transfer despite having a year remaining in his contract.
After joining the Blues for ยฃ10.3m from Barcelona last summer, Aubameyang managed 15 Premier League apearances for Chelsea, scoring one goal and 6 Champions League appearances, scoring 2 goals in what turned out to be worst career stats since he joined Borussia Dortmund from Saint Etienne in 2014.
His career misfortunes at Chelsea took a turn for the worst when Thomas Tuchel was sacked and replaced by Graham Potter as new Chelsea manager.
Potter axed Auba from Chelsea starting lineup and also delisted him from the Blues’ Champions League squad. The former Barcelona forward liked Chelsea’s social media post announcing the sack of Graham Potter but was still struggling for place in the squad under assistant manager Bruno Saltor and interim manager, Frank Lampard.
New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino left out the fallen striker from his squad plans and had given a nod for his exit. Despite having a year left in his contract at Chelsea, the club were ready to let him leave on a free transfer as a matter of goodwill and respect for the player.
The Gabon international will be hoping to recreate the Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal form in France as he seals a move to the Ligue 1 side. On his prime, the Laval-born footballer was the most deadly striker in the final third.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on fire at Signal Iduna Park where he rose to the peaks of his career. From his debut Bundesliga campaign with Borussia Dortmund in 2014/15 season to his last campaign with the club in 2017/18 season, Auba recorded double digit goal tally for the four seasons, including a career record 31 Bundesliga goals in 32 appearances in 2016/2017 season.
He continued on his prolific stats after joining Arsenal in 2017, hitting double digit goal tally every season until 2021/22 season when he fell out with Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, leaving the club on mutual consent to Barcelona where his career decline began.
Despite his dwindling fortunes at Camp Nou, Aubameyang did not lose his goal-scoring boots. He hit 11 goals in 17 La Liga appearances in his debut season but his spell was cut short seven months into his contract after Barcelona signed the likes of Robert Lewandwoski and Raphinha.
A return to the Premier League with Chelsea last summer made no real difference on his dwindling fortunes but the move to Marseille will offer the striker another chance to right the wrongs and return to elite level performance.
