Christopher Nkunku was a truly exciting signing when he arrived at Chelsea, and the fee we paid for him (£52m) was actually a bit small in the grand scheme of things.
But my excitement faded after a season in which the attacking midfielder suffered an injury. It was so disappointing to see so little of him in his debut season.
Nkunku has only made 13 appearances for Chelsea this season, which is truly tragic but part of the club’s wider injury problems.
He has been out for 242 days at Chelsea due to knee, fitness, hip and hamstring injuries.
Before coming to Chelsea, the longest he was out due to injury was 83 days. Sure, he had injuries, but none of them were that long-term.
He has been a shadow of the player we know from his performances this season and it comes down to his fitness. He often got lost. Especially when he was asked to play as a number 9. I’ve never seen him as a number 9, I’ve seen him as a number 10 or as a wide player.
I am still excited but at the same time for me Nkunku can now anchor the left flank for next season.
I still think Chelsea need to sign another winger this summer. Because I’d like to see Raheem Sterling sold, and I’m not sure about Mykhailo Mudrik or Noni Maduke.
another amulet
But Nkunku showed last night against Brighton that he can not only fill in the space on the left flank, but he can also perform very well down the left flank. He has great quality and is on the same level as Cole Palmer. None of our other strikers come close to these two in terms of natural quality and level. If these two forwards stay healthy (more so in the case of Nkunku) and perform at a high level, they could easily be classified as consistent world-class players in no time.
Palmer has often been our talisman this season, our savior and the man we rely on so much. I told him I needed help, and Nkunku could be that help. He can share the burden of being the guy who makes things happen in the creative areas of the stadium. He has everything about his game, just like Palmer. He plays with confidence and belief in his abilities, and the way he moves and controls the ball is so natural and easy for him. He is very neat, smart and good on the ball.
I’m happy to hand him the keys to the left attacking midfield role next season, but I’m still considering adding a new winger. I am now looking for a winger who can play on either wing and have the same impact.
The beauty of all of this is that Palmer and Nkunku can now essentially play centrally, on the right or on the left, giving them flexibility and options. So they could be quite open to adding a new winger.
But we have too many wingers at the moment and we are looking to sign Estevao Willian and another winger. And then there’s Omari Hutchinson, Kendry Paez, Angelo and more.
So is it actually wise to wait for some of these to come? I’m not sure, but my gut feeling is that we need a new, established winger right now if we’re really going to keep moving forward.
