The proud and expectant Chelsea faithful may be galvanised by the spending spree under owner Todd Boehly this season, but there have been a few ramifications which have quilted a layer of trepidation over Stamford Bridge.
Having spent more than £280m in January alone, there were some notable omissions from the Blues’ Champions League squad ahead of the knockout phase. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the high-profile exclusion, helping to pave the way for the likes of mid-season arrivals Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez.
Aubameyang’s bitter fortunes, partnered with the fact that he has only scored three goals from 18 outings since his summer arrival from Barcelona, make it hard to believe that he can lead the line for the coming years.
Given that he is now 33, the Gabonese talisman might find that his stay in west London does not stretch beyond next summer, despite Chelsea manager Graham Potter’s need for a reliable centre-forward, a position where goals have been sorely lacking this season.
Who could replace Aubameyang at Chelsea?
While Chelsea have certainly demonstrated that they are willing to part with whatever transfer fee is necessary to sign their prized targets, the prudent route might indeed be the shrewder one when searching for a replacement for Aubameyang, with a ready-made heir already on the club’s books.
Mason Burstow is a dynamic 19-year-old striker with a wealth of potential and all of the desirable attributes for a player who seems destined to ply his trade at one of Europe’s most esteemed clubs.
In Premier League 2 this season, the former Charlton Athletic starlet has scored six goals and supplied four assists from 15 starts, also scoring once in the EFL Trophy against Oxford United, with that strike hailed as “incredible” by Nizaar Kinsella.
When learning his trade for the Addicks in the maiden period of his professional career, Burstow scored six goals and delivered three assists from just 23 appearances, laying the foundation for a potentially successful spell in senior football.
The Athletic’s Liam Twomey waxed lyrical over the rising star, lauding him as “one of the most coveted teenagers” in England; and it seems that with the right guidance, he truly could blossom into a clinical force of nature at Stamford Bridge.
Also with the £160k-per-week Aubameyang recording a modest Sofascore league rating of 6.55 for the Blues, Burstow could hardly do much worse than his established senior peer.
In all likelihood, Potter will look to land a superlative striker ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, given Chelsea’s inability to muster a level of offensive potency despite their lavish spending – only one team outside the bottom seven in the Premier League have scored fewer than their 23 goals.
However, with Burstow rising through the ranks, he could be the perfect understudy to whoever is granted the role of marquee centre-forward at Stamford Bridge next season, succeeding the ageing and under-performing Aubameyang in the long run.