The key Champions League role Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could play for Frank Lampard and Chelsea

The Blues are on course to finish in the top four this season in Frank Lampard's first season like a boss but will be looking to build on this campaign when 2020/21 gets underway. Chelsea is currently on course for a place in the top four in the Premier League in Frank Lampard's first season in charge. Fans can Buy Champions League Final Tickets online to enjoy its stunning performances.

Despite what has largely been considered a foundation-building year, the Blues are only five points behind Leicester City in third and are closing in on Champions League qualification.

However, as is ever the case in the Premier League, their top-four status is not guaranteed next season. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will spend; Arsenal look improved under Mikel Arteta and will have a pre-season to regroup, while Manchester City, Liverpool, and Leicester will not be going anywhere particularly quickly. If Chelsea stands still, they will fall behind.

In their efforts to keep pressing forwards and improving, there is one position that stands high above the rest as their greatest need: center-forward.

Tammy Abraham has looked bright in his first season in the Premier League for Chelsea, scoring 13 goals. He also has healthy expected goals per 90 minutes rating of 0.61. However, his form has deteriorated as the season has progressed, and he has been struggling with an ankle injury, with Olivier Giroud starting up top in recent weeks.

Giroud, meanwhile, is 33 and has just two goals in 443 league minutes. He is excellent in general play, and his value to the team is noticeable in the spaces he opens up for those around him, but he is hardly a long-term solution for the position and has never been the most consistent goalscorer. And then there is Michy Bathsuayi, who hasn't hit the heights expected.

It leaves Chelsea in a conundrum, and they have been linked with several striking options this summer as a result of their anticipated investment at the position. The latest name to be mentioned as a possible target is Arsenal center-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is set to enter the final year of his contract and might be available with the Gunners forced to cash in.

While there are concerns regarding his longevity, whether Arsenal would sell to a direct rival, and the price and wages that Chelsea would have to invest in a player who offers little resale value given that he turns 31 June, if you wanted a plug-and-play striker who could ensure the Blues’ place in the top four next season and potentially beyond, there are few better candidates in Europe.

Aubameyang is a proven goalscorer. His minutes per goal ratio are among the best in world football and have been for several seasons. Starting in 2015/16, in which he scored 31 Bundesliga goals for Borussia Dortmund, Aubameyang’s minutes per goal ratio has been 99 minutes per goal, 89.7 minutes per goal, 109 minutes per goal and 105.8 minutes per goal (this season was split between Dortmund and Arsenal), 124.2 minutes per goal, and this season, 135.6 minutes per goal, in which he has played extensively as a left-winger.

He shared the Golden Boot in the Premier League last season and is on course to challenge for the award again this season, with only Jamie Vardy currently having scored more, while he has achieved all this despite playing in an Arsenal team that has struggled at times this season.

Slotting Aubameyang into the center-forward position in Lampard’s 4-3-3 is a tantalizing prospect. He would relish the service from Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount, stretch the defense to open up space for Ross Barkley to drive into, and, most importantly, would guarantee goals.

And goals are the hardest thing to find. There is a reason attackers are the most expensive players on the market, and Aubameyang’s proven record certainly would settle the inevitable nerves regarding a new transfer.

This Chelsea team has already proven that it is capable enough of reaching the verge of the top four. Dropping a player of Aubameyang’s goalscoring quality into the mix, then, would only ensure their place among the Premier League’s elite.

Champions League fans from all over the world can get Champions League Final Tickets through our trusted online ticketing marketplace. Xchangetickets.com is the most reliable source to book Champions League Tickets.