Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has sent a message to striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of Saturday’s home clash against Brighton.
Following Wednesday’s loss to Real Madrid, the Blues have failed to score in four consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since December 1993.
They need an attacking player to start scoring goals regularly and Lampard – who replaced Graham Potter last week – has always been a big fan of Aubameyang having attempted to sign him during his first stint as head coach.
The 33-year-old was frozen out by Potter and barely featured under his old boss but it is a clean slate for Aubameyang under Lampard.
Aubameyang arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer with a superb scoring record having netted 92 goals across 163 games for Arsenal.
The Gabon international also scored 13 times in 24 matches for Barcelona and registered many goals for former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Saint-Etienne.
Aubameyang has scored just three times for Chelsea but Lampard has sent a message to him ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Brighton.
Asked about Aubameyang’s potential role, Lampard said: ‘We’ll see on that one. I don’t want to go position-specific.
‘What I do want to say is that the players have to feel that when they train and prepare, that the competitive nature we have in the squad to get in the team needs to be high in every position.
‘Auba’s a bit like everybody in the squad, whether you’ve been starting before or not starting so much, you have to compete in training and show that you’re worthy of a place.
‘And of course his history says he has a fantastic goalscoring record. So we’ll see.’
Lampard added: ‘I want to be part of a process in this period where players have an opportunity – if they train (well) and they deserve to play, they get an opportunity on the pitch and they show what they can do.
‘Tomorrow will be an opportunity for some players that didn’t play in the Champions League and possibly didn’t play at the weekend to come in.
‘It’s a game where we absolutely need freshness and energy. So every opportunity, they should take.’
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