Chelsea vs Arsenal: Tuchel heaps praise on Arsenal's Aubameyang

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has clearly made a lasting impression on Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel during their time together at Borussia Dortmund.

The Blues boss will come up against the Gabonese forward when Chelsea welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. He was full of praise for his former marksman while also acknowledging his tardiness with regards to making it on time for team meetings.

Tuchel praised Aubameyang's willingness to go the extra mile in training and admitted that he was always ready for a new challenge. The Chelsea manager also spoke about the prolific striker's persona – his smile and the big heart he possesses.

"It was a pure pleasure to have him in the squad," Tuchel said speaking about Aubameyang, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "A fantastic striker, a fantastic finisher but more than that, a fantastic worker off the pitch. Always with a smile on his face. Very, very honest. A bit of a crazy guy but nice crazy."

"He did not miss one single training session in two years. Maybe he arrived five minutes late, that can happen with him, but if he does this, he is in a hurry, he has excuses, he is sorry and he has still a smile on his face. That's him, and it's hard to be really mad with the guy. He has a big heart."

Aubameyang has not had the best of seasons on and of the pitch. He has struggled for goals unlike his previous campaigns for the Gunners, while also facing a few problems off the field like a health scare for his mother and contracting malaria while on international duty.

Tuchel was surprised Aubameyang has not won more trophies during his career but admits that while the Gabon international was a winner, he also needs a strong squad to back him up, which has not always been the case at Arsenal.

The Blues manager, who is fighting for a top four place with his side, admitted that he was looking forward to meeting "his player" Aubameyang. But the German boss was clear that all the love will be put on hold once the game gets underway as their mission will be to stop him from hitting the back of the net.

"In some ways, it feels like he will always be my player, so you want him to succeed and have a good time. It will be nice to see him because he's always on for a hug and it's nice to see him laugh, but, of course, we want to stop him," Tuchel said.