Chelsea have seen £52 million ($65m) forward Christopher Nkunku branded a “total waste of money” following their “pedestrian” FA Cup exit.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
- French star moved to England in 2023
- Starting berths have proved hard to come by
- Questions being asked of players & coaches
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
-
WHAT HAPPENED?
France international Nkunku moved to England from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023. He had hit 58 goals across his last two seasons in Germany, but has managed only 16 for the Blues – with only five of those coming in the Premier League.
Advertisement
- Getty
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Nkunku has started just three top-flight fixtures this season, but was given a rare opportunity to impress against Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round as Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu were ruled out through injury. The 27-year-old fluffed his lines in a 2-1 defeat at the Amex Stadium.
-
WHAT CRAIG BURLEY SAID
Ex-Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley told : “There was no cutting edge to the game. [Cole] Palmer has stopped influencing games like he was. Nkunku up front, I mean what a total waste of money he’s been. And on top of that they are looking a bit fragile at the back.”
Burley added on Chelsea’s 2024-25 campaign: "The discussion earlier in the season was whether they could stay in the title race. We kind of expected them to slip but they’ve slipped back into this Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel pedestrian passing game. 57 per cent possession – way more than Brighton – but what did they do with it? Absolutely nothing."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
-
DID YOU KNOW?
Chelsea remain a work in progress, as they seek to unlock potential in a young squad, but Burnley said in a warning for head coach Enzo Maresca: “We know this ownership and club can make random and rash decisions. Now they must have been very pleased from what they saw from summer to Christmas. But if these performances continue and they slide down the table and they start heading out of Europe, Enzo Maresca is at a club where they will make snap decisions. They won’t give you two or three years like Arsenal did with [Mikel] Arteta through the bad spells.”
n8rngtd.top