Chelsea have everything in place for the transfer of Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, with the attacker set to join the Blues in June 2023.
Christopher Nkunku, 25, has already passed his medical with Chelsea and is reportedly close to signing his contract. Graham Potter’s side saw off competition from many other elite European clubs to get the Frenchman’s signature, so Chelsea fans can certainly be glad their club was able to win the race for this highly coveted talent.
The Blues have agreed on a deal with RB Leipzig for more than €60 million—which is Nkunku’s release clause. This marks a smashing coup for Todd Boehly and his growing project since becoming the co-owner of the football club. Also in securing one of the top targets ahead of next season, it is a sign of backing Potter in his rebuild at Stamford Bridge.
Nkunku leads the Bundesliga goal-scoring charts with 12 goals so far this season, and 17 across all formats. This comes after the Frenchman was awarded the Bundesliga Player of the year in 2021/22, where he plundered 35 goals and assisted 20 more in 52 outings across all competitions.
However, he was unfortunate to miss out on a place in the France squad for the World Cup after sustaining a knee ligament injury in the national team’s final training session before flying to Qatar.
Can Nkunku provide a solution to Chelsea’s attacking woes?
Chelsea hope to find success in Christopher Nkunku after a series of poor signings in attack in recent times, with Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku failing to live up to the lofty expectations at Stamford Bridge.
Summer signings Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have struggled to deliver the goods this season. Sterling is currently the club’s top scorer but has only managed five goals with Aubameyang finding the back of the net just three times. The paltry numbers mean Chelsea have struggled for goals and have netted just 17 times in the Premier League—the lowest scorers in the top half of the table.
With 64 goals in 159 appearances for RB Leipzig, Nkunku certainly appears to be an upgrade on Chelsea’s current underperforming forwards. The technically gifted and tactically versatile Frenchman should fit well into Potter’s possession-based, attacking and fluid system at Stamford Bridge, providing assists and goals in good numbers.
Due to the player’s versatility, Potter can use him in a variety of attacking roles in his fluid formation as per the opposition and a game’s demands. The 25-year-old can help pump life into the Blues’ toothless attack, whilst allowing the players around him to have more influence in the final third. Plus, he would add competition to Potter’s vast range of attacking options at the club.
Given Nkunku’s rise as a player in the last 18-21 months in Germany, Chelsea have struck gold by getting his signature at a reasonable price of just over €60 million.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
