Kepa Arrizabalaga has claimed to Tribalfootball that new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was in shock in the days after joining Chelsea.
The former Barcelona and Arsenal striker joined the Blues on deadline day, with the signing seemingly hand-picked for Thomas Tuchel.
However, last week the German was sacked, opening up questions as to whether his move could already have put his future in jeopardy.
Despite that logical conclusion, the Gabonese international did start in Graham Potter’s first game in charge of the club.
He hardly covered himself in glory though, with his disjointed appearance drawing in criticism from the media.
Kepa meanwhile has offered an explanation for the Gabon international’s slow start, citing his new circumstances as a reason.
Kepa defends Aubameyang
He said: “The truth is that the first days he arrived a little scared. He was a little in shock, a lot of change, the last two or three days were very crazy for him, everything that happened to him was a misfortune.”
The end of Aubameyang’s time in Barcelona was marred by the shocking armed robbery of his house, which left him with a broken jaw among other injuries.
The injury has forced him to begin his Chelsea career with a mask, obviously impacting his play up to this point.
Unfortunately for the striker, he could be set for a spell on the sidelines, with Armando Broja pushing for his first start of the season.
The 20-year-old impressed off the bench again against RB Salzburg on Wednesday, with him doing so in the past despite not being handed a proper chance by Tuchel.
Potter will be keen to solve the club’s striker options as soon as possible, with them again looking fairly toothless in his first game in charge. In his attempts, he is sure to look to Broja in the coming games.