“Showed a lack of strategy"- William Gallas slams Chelsea's decision to drop player from UCL squad

Former Chelsea defender William Gallas has shared his thoughts on striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's exclusion from the Blues' UEFA Champions League squad for the knockout stages.

The Gabonese striker joined the west London side from Barcelona last summer, expecting to collaborate with manager Thomas Tuchel. However, the German manager, who previously coached Aubameyang at Borussia Dortmund, was sacked in September.

Since Graham Potter took over at Stamford Bridge, the Gabon international has mostly been used as a substitute.

Official. João Félix, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Enzo Fernández have been added to Chelsea Champions League squad 🚨🔵 #CFC

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has been taken out of the squad. https://t.co/lYmVp7AiY8

Gallas believes that Aubameyang's signing and now his exclusion from the Champions League squad shows a lack of planning from the club. Speaking to Genting Casino, he said:

"Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s dismissal from the Champions League club showed a lack of strategy from Chelsea. They did not have a strategy, they just bought Aubameyang and didn’t really have a plan for him. Chelsea do not have a striker up front and maybe saw Aubameyang because he had some success at Barcelona, Arsenal and saw he was available."

He added:

"But you need a strategy. You need to know if he is going to fit into that system. I have said previously that Aubameyang won't fit in that squad because of the way Chelsea play. It will be difficult for him to express himself. Now he's on the bench and he's not in the Champions League squad. That shows me that they want to sell him."

Aubameyang has scored just three goals in 17 appearances across competitions this season, failing to make a big impact.

He has now been linked with a move away in the summer, with MLS club Los Angeles FC interested in signing him (via Relevo).

Chelsea summer signing deemed 'not good enough' by Frank Leboeuf

Former Blues defender Frank Leboeuf believes summer signing Marc Cucurella isn't good enough to play at a high level. Speaking to ESPN, he said:

"Reece James and Chilwell are going to go back into fitness asap because we need them, because we don’t want to see Cucurella anymore. With all due respect for the man – that I don’t know – but the player is not good enough for Chelsea. It’s as simple as that."

He added:

"It’s crazy that they signed him for £60m or £70m, but we can see that he does not belong to that level."

Cucurella looks like a shell of a player. No confidence going into tackles. Inability to retain possession. Afraid to take any risks and consistently passing backwards. Needs a spell on the bench once Chilwell is back... https://t.co/HDjCi1ng4L

Cucurella joined the west London side from Brighton & Hove Albion for £62 million. However, he has failed to live up to the price tag even after making 24 appearances across competitions.