Chris Sutton expects Chelsea to sell ‘talented’ transfer flop Christopher Nkunku before the January transfer window closes.
Nkunku completed a £52m move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023 after impressing in Germany.
The Frenchman scored 58 goals across his final two years at RB Leipzig, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Season award in 2022 and finishing as the league’s joint top goalscorer the following year.
Nkunku struggled with injuries during his first season at Chelsea, only making 14 appearances in all competitions, and has continued to struggle for game-time this term despite returning to full fitness.
The 27-year-old has only started three Premier League games under Enzo Maresca, though he has impressed in cup competitions, scoring 10 goals in nine games.
Ex-Premier League striker Sutton believes Nkunku is a ‘talented player’ but doubts he will come good at Stamford Bridge and has tipped Chelsea to offload him during the January window.
‘I can see Christopher Nkunku leaving,’ Sutton told NewBettingSites. ‘Enzo Maresca seems reluctant to use his bench and Nkunku hasn’t had enough regular game-time.
‘The fact he’s down the pecking order and not getting regular game time, it certainly tells you that Maresca thinks he’s OK, but you need more than OK if you want to push for the Premier League title.
‘He had that horrific injury but unless you get regular game-time, it’s really difficult to find that rhythm.
‘He is a talented player but it looks like another one where it’s just not going to happen for him at Chelsea.’
Nkunku missed a penalty in Chelsea’s FA Cup victory over Morecambe on Saturday before finding the back of the net in the 5-0 thrashing.
Last week, ex-Chelsea defender Jason Cundy urged Nkunku to consider leaving the west London club as there is ‘no role’ for him under Maresca.
‘What is Nkunku? What is his best position? Who is this player?’ the former Chelsea defender told talkSPORT when asked about Nkunku’s role in Maresca’s side.
‘He’s a ten for me, he can play out on the left and be a body for 15 to 20 minutes at the end of games.
‘But he isn’t a number nine and he and (Nicolas) Jackon are two totally different strikers and so Chelsea have two totally different attacks and two totally different set-ups with the wide men and Palmer.
‘I feel for Nkunku because he’s caught between two positions. He’s not a number nine and he can’t play ten so where is his best role?
‘The whole role of number nine has been left down to Jackson this season and Nkunku doesn’t do that job when he’s given the chance.
‘I think he will probably have to think about his future at the club because there is no role for him in this system and Maresca has no place for him. He’s using him because he feels like he has to.’
It was reported ahead of the January transfer window that Nkunku’s representatives had contacted Barcelona to discuss a shock move to the Nou Camp.
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