“Finished like Penaldo”, “Send him to the reserves” - Chelsea fans dub attacker as ‘joker’ as he confirms desire to return to ex-club

Chelsea fans have ripped into Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he confirmed his desire to return to Barcelona.

Aubameyang joined the Blues on deadline day last summer for a fee of £10.3 million. He has since scored just thrice in 21 games across competitions, raising questions if he's suitable to lead Chelsea's line.

A section of their fanbase would disagree with that, even more so after the 33-year-old's latest revelation. He said, via DjamLife on TikTok (h/t transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on Twitter):

"I’d like to return to Barcelona. … but we will see."

These words seemed to have rubbed fans the wrong way. One said:

"Finished like Penaldo"

Another added:

"Yeah send him to the reserves immediately this joker"

Here are some of the top Twitter reactions:

It's believed that the only situation where Barcelona will sign him is if he terminates his contract at Chelsea. His deal at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of next season, but he's willing to leave as a free agent this summer if the Blues oblige.

Aubameyang's first spell at Barcelona came after he mutually terminated his contract with the Gunnners in January 2022. He went on to score 11 times in 23 games across competitions for Barca that season, finishing as the club's joint top-scorer.

It seems that the former Borussia Dortmund attacker's race in West London is run. He was also absent from his team's matchday squad in their 3-1 league win against Bournemouth on Saturday (May 6).

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Lampard refused to comment on Aubameyang's display after Chelsea's loss against Arsenal

Frank Lampard handed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang his first league start since November when Chelsea faced Arsenal at the Emirates on May 2.

The Gabon international was hooked at half-time after recording no shots or key passes and managing just nine touches. After his team's 3-1 loss in north London, Lampard was asked if the Blues striker's display was that of a player who's rusty due to a lack of minutes.

The former Everton boss told Sky Sports (via Express):

"I'm not going to comment on individuals in the game. I'll talk about a collective, and it's the performance. I understand what you said that Chelsea fans will talk about the players not caring. I don't believe that.

He added:

"They're lads that want to do well for this club. But they have to understand what that means and what that entails every day, from training every day for a game, how you prepare, how you maintain yourself."

This could be the worst league season in Aubameyang's career, who has netted just once in 15 Premier League games.