Tony Pulis believes veteran striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is on the decline and will no longer play a regular role at Chelsea.
Aubameyang was on the pitch for just eight minutes as the Blues beat Bournemouth 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Instead, Chelsea manager Graham Potter opted to use Kai Havertz as his starting number nine — a decision that eventually paid off.
The Germany international scored Chelsea’s opener and assisted Mason Mount’s brilliant curler in the first half.
While Havertz has his moments of inconsistency, Pulis does not think Aubameyang is the solution, either.
“When you are perceived to be a top-four Premier League club, you need depth,” the former Stoke City manager told Amazon Prime (via BBC).
“I really do think they bought Aubameyang as cover more than anything else. He has gone from being that good to dropping just over the top of the hill now.
“He will come on and score goals. I’m sure he’ll add something during the season, but he’s not the main man anymore.”
The retired Gabon international has not scored for Chelsea since the 2-0 win over AC Milan at San Siro in October. A poor record for a player who scored 11 goals in 13 starts in La Liga for Barcelona less than a year ago.
As Pulis suggested, while Aubameyang still has a lot to offer, at 33, he may be well and truly past his peak.
Chelsea are not exactly spoilt for striker options at the moment, however, so Aubameyang will still be a valuable member of the squad.
This could easily change in the summer or even in January when Chelsea have the opportunity to bring in new strikers.
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