Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has admitted that he is 'hopeful' that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can replicate his best form at Stamford Bridge.
Late on Thursday night, the Premier League giants confirmed that they had secured the signature of the Barcelona forward on a two-year deal.
In signing the former Arsenal man, Tuchel is reunited with a player who produced the best numbers of his career when they were both at Borussia Dortmund.
Between 2015 and 2017, the Gabon international scored 79 goals in just two seasons before Tuchel eventually made the switch to Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the German has always spoken openly about his admiration for Aubameyang, and he told reporters at a press conference on Friday that he was delighted to get to work with the player for the second time.
© Reuters
Tuchel said: "Hopefully he can be that good again. We know very well what we get with Auba. He was very keen to come back to the Premier League and we are very, very happy that we could make it happen.
"Normally, everywhere he plays he delivers goals. More importantly, he delivers speed and work-rate against the ball. It's a big package that he can bring to our group.
Tuchel also acknowledged that the 33-year-old will remain on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, a consequence of sustaining a fractured jaw during a robbery on his home in Barcelona last weekend.
He added: "At the moment, he cannot train. First of all, we have to make sure that he gets a mask to protect his jaw, and then we can start to try with a mask next week."
© Reuters
When Aubameyang suffered the injury on Sunday, it was soon suggested that he will miss as many as three weeks, potentially ruling him out until after the September international break.
Chelsea play five games during a 15-day period, starting with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon and concluding with a showdown against Liverpool on September 18.
The West Londoners also play matches against Dinamo Zagreb, Fulham and Red Bull Salzburg in between the meetings with the Hammers and Merseyside giants.
Aubameyang featured for just eight minutes of Barcelona's 2022-23 La Liga campaign before departing Camp Nou.
Darren Plant
