Former PL goalkeeper Rob Green believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can replicate Diego Costa at Chelsea
Speaking to Football Daily (h/t Football.London), former Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green believes summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can replicate what Diego Costa did for the Blues during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Out of three seasons he stayed at the club, Costa scored 20 goals twice in a Premier League campaign – 2014/15 and 2016/17, and the Blues won the title on both occasions.
Since his departure, Chelsea have struggled to find a number nine that can score that amount of goals and have a commanding impact on opposition defenders. Since his arrival this summer, Aubameyang has made a good start to his Blues’ career, scoring three goals in five appearances.
Talking about the former Arsenal striker and how he can replicate Costa at Chelsea, here’s Green (h/t Football.London):
“He’s [Aubameyang] a quality finisher. We’ve seen that with his instinctive, wonderful finish against [Crystal] Palace, the tap in off the Reece James ball last week against AC Milan, and then this time against Milan, onto a loose ball that Raheem Sterling couldn’t quite control and he slams it home. As confident as you like.
“What Chelsea have missed over the last few seasons – and perhaps a bit longer – is a centre-forward, a proper number nine who scores goals. Ever since Diego Costa left, [they haven’t had] that player who’s going to bang in 20 goals a season.
“You know what, the way he’s going, if he stays on this sort of form he could meet those numbers.”
It is a big statement from Green, but it isn’t without a justification. Aubameyang was a superstar at Arsenal before his time ended on a sour note. The 33-year-old scored 68 goals and assisted 16 in 128 league appearances for the Gunners, while mostly playing on the left.
So, predicting him to do well in a league he knows very well should not be an overstatement. Moreover, the current Chelsea team and the quality it has is better than the Arsenal team Aubameyang was a part of. Hence, he should get more chances to score goals here, that too playing as a number nine.
What the Gabon striker has is agility in and around the box along with physical attributes and clinical finishing. He seems to be a good person to have in the dressing room as well.
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The start Aubameyang has made at Chelsea is on the expected lines. The hope is that he continues in this vein and not just matches Costa’s numbers, but surpasses him and also wins trophies for the Blues just as the Spaniard did.