Highlights Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku is nearing a return to action after recovering from a knee injury.
Nkunku could be the missing piece in Mauricio Pochettino’s front line, boasting an impressive goal record in Germany.
Chelsea are being cautious with Nkunku’s return and plan to integrate him back into the squad gradually, prioritizing his long-term recovery.
Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku is nearing a return to action at Stamford Bridge and journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed a potential date to circle in the diary, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.
The Blues will revel in Nkunku’s squad involvement given their embryonic struggles in the 2023/24 campaign, despite spending just shy of £400m on new faces across the summer months.
In Germany for RB Leipzig, the 25-year-old scored 70 goals and notched a further 56 assists in 172 games in all competitions and, therefore, could add a different layer of possibility to Mauricio Pochettino’s front line.
Nkunku nearing Chelsea return
The Frenchman arrived at Stamford Bridge over the summer – for a fee worth £52m – to widespread fanfare. In need of a frontman that yields plenty of goals, Pochettino and his entourage were banking on the former RB Leipzig ace to come in and provide just that.
Unfortunately for those of a Chelsea persuasion, he damaged the meniscus in his knee just days before the season got underway in the west Londoners’ pre-season clash with Borussia Dortmund back in August. Since, he has undergone surgery and has been spotted at Cobham continuing his rehabilitation.
The £195,000-a-week earner, who is yet to play a competitive game for his new employers, was the joint-top goalscorer in the Bundesliga last term and could definitely be the ‘missing piece’ of Pochettino’s puzzle, Jacobs previously told GIVEMESPORT.
Initially, there were worries that his injury outlay would see him return in 2024, but the Argentine boss recently revealed that Nkunku is ahead of schedule. According to 90min, the club have pencilled in their Carabao Cup encounter with Newcastle United as a fixture for him to start in, though they have one eye on fixtures earlier in the month as a means of re-integrating him back into proceedings.
Respected journalist Paul Brown recently told GIVEMESPORT that fans should be excited to see their summer signing plying his trade in their threads and now Jacobs has provided an all-important update on his development.
Chelsea summer signings Axel Disasi (Monaco) £38.5m Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal) £30.1m Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) £52m Kendry Paez (Independiente del Valle) £17.27m Robert Sanchez (Brighton) £25m Moises Caicedo (Brighton) £115m Lesley Ugochukwu (Rennes) £23.5m Angelo Gabriel (Santos) Undisclosed Alex Matos (Norwich) Undisclosed Diego Moreira (Benfica) Undisclosed Ishe Samuels-Smith (Everton) Undisclosed Dujuan Richards (Phoenix All Stars Academy) Undisclosed Romeo Lavia (Southampton) £58m Deivid Washington (Santos) £17.1m Djordje Petrovic (New England Revolution) £14m Cole Palmer (Manchester City) £42.5m All fees courtesy of Sky Sports
Jacobs has earmarked the end of November as the perfect time for Pochettino to integrate Nkunku back into the squad, though he has reiterated that early to mid-December is, perhaps, more reasonable. The journalist did suggest that, like the majority of top clubs, Chelsea are not willing to prematurely force the injured Nkunku back into action. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said:
“Optimistically, he could have some kind of squad involvement against Newcastle on November the 25th, but I think it’s probably more likely it will be a week or two after in early December. And as you say, Chelsea are not going to do anything irresponsible. Like any club, by the way, especially at this stage of the season, I don’t think you see many top clubs taking needless risks after the kind of injury that [Christopher] Nkunku’s had and the length of time that he’s been out for it, unless, of course, you’ve perhaps got like a Champions League final or Premier League decider, but we’re not even halfway through the season. So, Chelsea, of course, never have plans to do anything irresponsible with Nkunku or really any other player on the list.
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Chelsea favourites to seal £100m transfer
While Nkunku’s return will alleviate the goalscoring burden, Pochettino seems to still have one eye on signing a new centre forward in January and his side have now leapfrogged Arsenal in the race for Ivan Toney’s sought-after services.
It’ll cost them in the region of £100m, however, as his current employers, Brentford, are reluctant to sell their primary goal threat mid-season. Not only that, but Chelsea will have to contend with a series of top European clubs should they wish to snare the Englishman’s signature. Tottenham Hotspur, who are yet to replace Harry Kane after his summer departure, are named as one of the possible would-be buyers, though the north Londoners would be expected to make a move at the end of the season.
Of course, Chelsea forked out in excess of £30m for Nicolas Jackson in the summer transfer window on an eight-year deal as they looked to put an end to their struggles in front of goal. Looking past his hat-trick against Spurs, the Senegalese international has plundered a further four goals in 13 appearances. And as transfer insider Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT that Jackson is ‘not the answer’ to the club’s attacking frailties, it could leave the door ajar for someone of Toney’s ilk to come in and join the Pochettino-led project.
Chelsea fitness update emerges on Nkunku facing Newcastle
