Thomas Tuchel will not replicate PSG row at Chelsea but says 'Aubameyang will always be my...

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Thomas Tuchel has claimed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang “will always be my player” but has promised his Chelsea bosses that he will not get dragged into the kind of transfer fight that saw him fall out with Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo over the striker. Ironically, Tuchel could have been working with Aubameyang at Chelsea if previous head coach Frank Lampard had got his way, but Chelsea decided last summer the 31-year-old was too expensive for his age. Twelve months before Lampard tried to convince Chelsea to bid for Aubameyang, Tuchel, who enjoyed two successful seasons with him at Borussia Dortmund, had recommended that PSG should sign him from Arsenal only to be overruled and handed Mauro Icardi. The fall-out over Aubameyang is thought to have been the beginning of the end of Tuchel’s relationship with Leonardo and PSG, who eventually sacked him on Christmas Eve last year, but he has remained close to the Gabon international. Ahead of their first meeting in the Premier League, when Chelsea entertain Arsenal on Wednesday night, Tuchel said: “Back in the days at Dortmund, it was a pure pleasure to have him in the squad. Auba was a fantastic striker, a fantastic finisher on the pitch. But, more than that, he was a fantastic worker off the pitch. “I think he did not miss one single training in two years. Maybe he arrived five minutes late on the training ground, that can happen with him! But if he does this, he is in a hurry, he feels sorry, he still has a smile on his face.” In two seasons under Tuchel, Aubameyang scored 79 goals in 95 Dortmund appearances and the German added: “It was a very reliable relationship because he delivered an unbelievable amount of goals, his speed was unique in the Bundesliga and he was a crucial player. A bit of a crazy guy, but nice crazy. “We still are in touch and exchange messages when one of us has a big win. In some ways, he will still always be my player, so I want him to succeed and have a good time wherever he is. This contact never fully stopped and it’s nice to see him because he’s always on for a hug and it’s nice to see him laugh. But, of course, we want to stop him and there is no exchange now before the game.” Tuchel wants to add a new striker to his squad this summer and it could be that Aubameyang, who earns over £350,000-a-week at Arsenal, may still be judged to be the wrong side of 30 years old for Chelsea, whose top targets are Erling Haaland and Romelu Lukaku. Refusing to be drawn into whether or not he wants to work with Aubameyang again, Tuchel would only say: “Well he does not get younger, that’s the problem.” But Tuchel has vowed there will be no repeat of his PSG fall-out over this summer’s transfer plans with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia and technical performance advisor Petr Cech. “Transfer periods can be real mood breaks between coaches and clubs,” said Tuchel, laughing. “And I don’t want to have this ever again. “I have zero ambition to ruin this atmosphere, not for myself or for anybody else. Do we have some ideas how to improve the squad? Yes, we do. But will we fight about it? No, we will not. We will discuss it and first of all we will finish this season because it is not time to reflect now.” Since joining Arsenal in 2018, Aubameyang has only managed to add the FA Cup to the German Cup he won with Tuchel at Dortmund, but his former coach insists there can be no doubts over his hunger or mentality. Asked if Aubameyang should have won more in his career so far, Tuchel replied: “Yeah, because he is a winner. We won the cup together in Dortmund. I never had a feeling that he lacks a certain edge in his mentality about wanting to win stuff. But, clearly, he cannot do it alone and he also needs a top squad to play in to compete at the highest level.” Aubameyang’s time-keeping has apparently not improved since working under Tuchel, as Arsenal’s captain was dropped for the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur after arriving for the game late.

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