Chelsea may live to regret selling Christopher Nkunku after all
Christopher Nkunku did not set the world alight during his time at Chelsea. However, the AC Milan player could return to haunt the Blues as he is being linked with Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
Nkunku joined Chelsea with high expectations in 2023 after he had starred in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig. In 119 games in Germany's top flight, Nkunku found the back of the net 47 times with 43 assists.
However, his form for Leipzig could not be translated to English football. His time at Chelsea started badly with a knee injury. This meant that he missed the first half of the 2023/24 campaign. The Frenchman did score on his Premier League debut as the Blues lost 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve.
Any momentum Nkunku could have been getting was dashed as he then spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury picked up in March 2024. His second season with the Blues was always underwhelming, as he was often benched and missed the end of the campaign with a knock.
In total, Nkunku made 62 appearances for the Blues, scoring 18 goals with five assists. He did win the Club World Cup and the Europa Conference League whilst at the club. However, he was on the bench when the Blues defeated Real Betis in the Conference League final. In the Club World Cup final victory over his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, Nkunku made a late substitute appearance.
The cameo against PSG was to be his final game for Chelsea, as he then joined AC Milan in August of last year. He has found his level in Italy, scoring seven goals with three assists in 32 Serie A games last season. This was for a side that finished fifth and just missed out on qualifying for the Champions League.
Chelsea may have let Christopher Nkunku go too soon
The versatile forward has been linked with many teams, as well as Villa and Newcastle, this summer. This has included Barcelona, AS Roma, Borussia Dortmund, and his ex-team, Leipzig. However, a return to the Premier League could be likely. This is especially as Villa and Newcastle need to start reinvesting the money they have received from selling many of their top players this summer.
Newcastle have sold Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimaraes. This has led to Eddie Howe leaving the club. Matthias Jaissle, who had been managing Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, replaced Howe. Jaissle could do with a new forward, especially as Nick Woltemade failed to impress during his first season at the club.
Villa has also sold many of its top players this summer, including Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans. Nkunku is predominantly a centre-forward, but he can also play in attacking midfield and on the left wing. This makes him a good replacement for Rogers. Unai Emery still has Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham to use as strikers.
Chelsea are without European football for the upcoming campaign. This could make them dark horses in the Premier League. However, it would be a stretch to see them challenging for the title. They will likely be competing for a place in the Champions League. Therefore, they could be battling it out with Villa and potentially Newcastle for this.
Therefore, Chelsea may regret selling Nkunku if he joins Villa or Newcastle. It is a familiar story for Chelsea not giving players time. Both Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne were on Chelsea's books before being sold to teams abroad. They then returned to the Premier League to star for Liverpool and Manchester City respectively. History could be repeating itself with Nkunku, who is still only 28 and hitting his prime.
