Chelsea outcast Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signalled his approval of Graham Potter‘s departure by ‘liking’ a post on Instagram announcing his sacking.
The striker, who hasn’t made an appearance for Chelsea since late February and was ditched from their Champions League knockout rounds squad, seemed to enjoy the news on Sunday night.
Potter was fired with Chelsea sitting in a lowly 11th in the Premier League table, with Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa proving the final straw for owner Todd Boehly and the club’s hierarchy.
Having repeatedly backed Potter following a run of poor results since the turn of the year, the further regression of their hopes of qualifying for Europe proved too much.
Eagle-eyed Chelsea fans spotted that Aubameyang had ‘liked’ the post on the club’s official Instagram feed announcing Potter’s exit.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang appeared to signal his approval for Graham Potter’s sacking by ‘liking’ Chelsea’s Instagram post announcing the news
Potter had regularly left the striker out of his squad in recent weeks as Chelsea struggled
Eagle-eyed Chelsea fans spotted that Aubameyang had ‘liked’ the Instagram post on Sunday
That perhaps isn’t surprising given the Gabon international, 33, hasn’t even been named in Chelsea’s squad for the majority of recent Premier League games.
He last appeared in the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham on February 26, though was an unused substitute in the 1-0 home win over Leeds United the following week.
But Aubameyang wasn’t in the matchday squad for the subsequent league fixtures against Leicester, Everton and Aston Villa.
He also didn’t feature against his former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last-16, having been cut from Chelsea’s squad to make room for their large number of January signings.
Having only arrived at Stamford Bridge from Barcelona in a £10.3million transfer last summer, signed by his former Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel, Aubameyang’s future at the club is already in severe doubt.
He was seen supporting his former club in their Clasico win over Real Madrid last month, something that reportedly angered Chelsea.
Aubameyang was pictured in the thick of the dressing room celebrations after Barcelona’s 2-1 win over their rivals put them on course for the LaLiga title.
He featured in an Instagram story posted by Spanish striker Ferran Torres, which was captioned ‘Grande’, meaning ‘big’ or ‘great’.
Aubameyang (right, with Ferran Torres) was in high spirits after Barcelona’s El Clasico win
The striker celebrated with his former club after their dramatic victory against Real Madrid
Denis Zakaria, another to see game time limited under Potter, also ‘liked’ the sacking post
Potter on the touchline at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea slipped to defeat against Aston Villa
Reports in Spanish newspaper AS suggested Chelsea will refuse to allow Aubameyang his desired return to the Nou Camp in the summer.
Aubameyang wasn’t alone in liking the Instagram post – midfielder Denis Zakaria, another who has found opportunities limited under Potter, also gave his approval.
The recently deposed Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann is the early favourite to replace Potter with the German already sounded out through intermediaries even before Sunday’s news.
Bruno Saltor, who followed Potter to Chelsea from Brighton, will take charge of the side for their home league game against Liverpool on Tuesday.
source: dailymail.co.uk
