"I feel sorry for him" - Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel sends message to former Arsenal captain Aubameyang 

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed his sympathy for Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the Gabon international was stripped of the club's captaincy.

When asked whether he was going to speak to his former ward in light of his current debacles, the German tactician replied:

''I will, I will at some point. But, you know, I don’t want to also disturb [him]. I think he was a very important player for me and we had a very close relationship until today. When we meet it’s still always very, very nice."

''I can only say the best things about Auba as a player and as a person. I feel sorry for him that he’s in trouble. This is not where he should be with his kind of quality and the positive character that he has – and I still believe in that."

He added:

''But I’m not involved, and I’m not involved in what’s going on at his club now, and for this I also want to show my respect [to Arsenal] and not be involved and not judge what is right and wrong."

''I just have my picture and my relationship with Auba and this is not affected by that."

Thomas Tuchel and Pierre-Emerick Aubameynag had a productive player-coach relationship for two years at Borussia Dortmund. They have since moved on to rival clubs in London owing to their affiliations with Chelsea and Arsenal.

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Chelsea and Arsenal have contrasting goals this season

Chelsea are among the favorites for the EPL

Chelsea are currently defending champions of Europe following their unexpected UEFA Champions League triumph last season.

They have also started the 2021-22 Premier League campaign brightly and are currently in a three-horse race with Manchester City and Liverpool for the title.

Arsenal, by contrast, have had a stop-start season so far. A terrible start to the campaign saw the Gunners break several unwanted records, plunging them into the relegation zone.

An unbeaten run of 10 matches, however, lifted spirits at the club before another poor sequence of results sent fans crashing back into reality.

Arsenal have responded with a morale-boosting victory over West Ham United, which sent them above their London rivals into the top four.

It has been five years since the Gunners last qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Whether they can retain their current position in the league remains to be seen.