18. Christopher Nkunku

[James 5,197]

 

[nyikolajevics 2,576]

Massive signing. Perfect age, perfect time to step up. Hope he will not have many injury issues.. 

 

I like Felix, Mudryk and Madueke, even Havertz, but those guys often seem to have no idea what to do in front of the opponents goal. Nkunku is always looking for goal scoring chances and his end product is very good. I feel he will be big improvement. 

 

 

[Special Juan 27,424]

Love how he floats around the field, finding little pockets of space and is both great with going forward to goal and also dragging players where they don't want to be.

We will see the best of him if he is allowed freedom

[DDA 9,690]

Finally. Top singing this and it will encourage other top players to join wanting to play alongside him.

All the best Nkunku, hope it turns out well! 

KTBFFH! 🔵

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

Interested to see how he does, hopefully he plays as a 10 as he won’t cut it as an offensive outright 9 here. We need a number 9 regardless.

Coming from the Bundesliga that skepticism will always be there for me as we’ve seen with Werner and Havertz, scoring goals in Germany doesn’t necessarily mean its a given that it will translate to the PL. And if I am really honest, by no means does Nkunku look a better player than what Havertz did at Bayer Leverkusen but he is much more mature so he has that going for him. His numbers are good the last 2 seasons goals wise and from 2019-2022 he has good numbers for assists so its promising but again he has to bring that to this team.

I think Poch will use him like he used Dele Alli at Spurs, in that role running beyond the CFs.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,477]

 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,477]

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,837]

The 25-year-old is one of several high-quality attacking players to have come out of France in the past few years.

He joined Leipzig in 2019 from Paris St-Germain after he realised he could not progress while in the shadow of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and others.

Leipzig offered Nkunku regular playing time - he has averaged 42 competitive games per season over the past four years - and the chance to refine his game.

At first, the Paris native played as a winger under manager Julian Nagelsmann while occasionally being employed in the number 10 role.

Domenico Tedesco was the first coach who regularly fielded Nkunku as a striker and Marco Rose continued that tactic after replacing the now-Belgium manager last September.

While Nkunku was able to showcase his dribbling skills and agility in tight spaces when playing as a winger, he turned into a ruthless goalscorer in the central striker role.

He scored 35 goals in all competitions during the 2021-22 campaign and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season.

What Chelsea have acquired is a tactically versatile and technically highly proficient player who combines creativity with a drive towards goal.

Nkunku may make numerous stepovers and all kinds of dummies, but he is usually focused on getting the ball into the penalty area.

According to the analytics site FBref.com, Nkunku has been among the best 10 per cent of forwards in Europe's top-five leagues in several key statistics during the past calendar year, including non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, pass completion percentage and successful take-ons.

Mauricio Pochettino, who will officially take over at Chelsea on 1 July, has usually preferred a tactical system with one central striker.

Nkunku could well be employed in that role. With Kai Havertz expected to leave and Romelu Lukaku unlikely to return to Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman would seem to make the most sense for the position.

Equally, he could also be selected on the wing with a licence to roam to the inside. He displayed his tactical versatility during the recent German Cup final, which RB Leipzig won 2-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Nkunku started the game as the lone striker in Leipzig's 4-2-3-1, holding the ball up and combining with Dani Olmo or Dominik Szoboszlai. During the second half he moved to the wing when Yussuf Poulsen came on to provide a more physical presence.

When he was employed in a wider area, Nkunku again showed his speed and progressive passing qualities. He also scored the opening goal as he drifted in from the left side in the 71st minute.

The Frenchman has made the most of his past four years in the Bundesliga.

However, while he has received praise for his performances, won two German Cup finals with Leipzig and received the trophy for the best goal scorer of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season, Nkunku has also had to deal with setbacks.

He suffered a ligament tear in his knee in the days before the World Cup in Qatar and was denied the chance to represent his home country in the tournament. While Mbappe and the rest were playing in the final against Argentina, Nkunku was working towards his comeback.

He looked rusty in his first few outings and had another setback when he suffering a torn muscle fibre.

After recovering from that second injury, Nkunku steadily improved his form, peaking in the final few weeks of the season as Leipzig secured a spot in the 2023-24 Champions League and won the German Cup final.

"Having played in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, I now want to play in the Premier League, one of the strongest in the world," Nkunku said on Wednesday.

He has been in the shadow of Mbappe and a other stellar countrymen in recent years, but the move to England and an ambitious and financially powerful club should offer Nkunku the stage to gain more international exposure and take his game to the next level.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

If he will flop then officially attacking players from Bundesliga are cursed here.

[Strike 7,217]

I don't see an available attacker who would have been a better signing than him. Smart work from the board

[milka 3,346]

This would be viral next season if he continue to scores but as we know anyone who goes to Chelsea just forgets how to scores 😅 

He looks like Sterling's brother 

 

 

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,837]

That's the spirit. 

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

First time since Hazard we have a player who at least in a somewhat weaker league has demonstrated he can create a goal out of nothing on his own. Very well rounded, versatile attacker . Always sceptical with bundesliga signings but he has been the  best in the country for the the last 1-2 seasons . But what I am sure of is that other than Mudryk or Sterling who are only effective under the right circumstances, nkunku does not rely on one specific skill or attribute. This allows him to cause danger from almost anywhere even in tight spaces. 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Magic Lamps

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

 

good analysis of his game. 
Major point is that Nkunku is not really a winger, more an inside forward. He is most effective inside the box, not at progressing the ball. I agree but I think it is more of a mindest issue. Nkunku is accomplished in every aspect of attacking bar heading. I think it is more of a question of set up. Whoever replaces kovacic should be good at progressing the ball from midfield to attack. In the last we had attackers like CHO, Mount, Pulisic who are good at progressing the ball but poor at doing sth with it in the box. 

[DDA 9,690]

 

 

[Johnnyeye 7,441]

Welcome to Chelsea Football Club, now pls score a lot of goals here Nkunku 🙏

[Clockwork 1,794]

On 22/06/2023 at 10:10, Magic Lamps said:

 

good analysis of his game. 
Major point is that Nkunku is not really a winger, more an inside forward. He is most effective inside the box, not at progressing the ball. I agree but I think it is more of a mindest issue. Nkunku is accomplished in every aspect of attacking bar heading. I think it is more of a question of set up. Whoever replaces kovacic should be good at progressing the ball from midfield to attack. In the last we had attackers like CHO, Mount, Pulisic who are good at progressing the ball but poor at doing sth with it in the box. 

I think he will play as ST, Viega will be brought in to play behind him.

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

2 hours ago, Clockwork said:

I think he will play as ST, Viega will be brought in to play behind him.

Veiga is not more than a rumour at this point tho? If we really want to play him as a striker not as a SS or LA, we will be struggling to break down defences again. Also Veiga is not really that good, far inferior to Havertz. If we really want to play with a no.10 behind Nkunku, selling Mount and Havertz and replacing them with an unproven kid with average looking potential is an extremely stupid idea