Nkunku and five players Vivell could help Chelsea sign

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 21 Dec 2022 14:20 GMT
• 4 min read

Chelsea have announced the appointment of Christopher Vivell as their new technical director. Who might the former RB Leipzig man help the Blues sign?

Chelsea spent more money than any other club in world football last summer, bringing the likes of Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling to the club, some of them for record sums.

But that is yet to translate into success on the field, and new owner Todd Boehly sacked Thomas Tuchel in July, replacing him with Brighton man Graham Potter soon after. After an initial uptick in form, Chelsea limped into the winter break with four consecutive defeats in all competitions.

READ: Kante out, Moukoko in: What Chelsea need in January transfer window

Vivell was Head of Scouting at Salzburg when they signed Erling Haaland from Molde in 2019, and he has can offer invaluable insight across the Red Bull group.

So which players might Vivell have an immediate hand in Chelsea signing?

Chistopher Nkunku (Leipzig)

Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea is almost a done deal, the player having undergone a medical with the Blues in Frankfurt last summer with a €60 million transfer offer on the table for current employers Leipzig.

The versatile attacker missed the World Cup with France due to a knee ligament injury, but Vivell's presence could help get the deal over the line in time for his recovery. Chelsea's top transfer target having had 49 goal-involvements from 49 games over the last two Bundesliga campaigns.

Josko Gvardiol (Leipzig)

Nkunku's Leipzig teammate Josko Gvardiol is in incredibly high demand after helping Croatia to a third-place finish at the World Cup, and he is widely expected to make the upcoming official Team of the Tournament.

READ: Man City submit €110m bid for Chelsea target Gvardiol

Manchester City have reportedly had a €110m bid turned down for the 20-year-old, who can play left-back and centre-back equally comfortably, and Vivell could prove an ace in the hole for Chelsea as they look to persuade Gvardiol to join Nkunku at Stamford Bridge.

Benjamin Sesko (Salzburg then Leipzig)

Sesko has caught the eye over the last 12 months thanks to his fantastic performances for Salzburg and Slovenia, but Leipzig already have an agreement to sign the 19-year-old sensation for €24m next summer. This, of course, was brokered by Vivell. There have been reports, however, that the Bundesliga club could flip the striker immediately, potentially receiving as much as three times what they have agreed to pay for him. Chelsea, along with Manchester United, are said to be interested.

Nicolas Seiwald (Salzburg)

Chelsea are in the market for a central midfielder with Jorginho and N'Golo Kante both the wrong side of 30 and out of contract in the summer. Nicolas Seiwald is player they should be paying close attention to as they looks to realise Boehly's "Vision 2030". Still only 21, the Austria international has averaged a league-best two blocks per 90 minutes over the last year, and nearly three tackles per game. Unlikely to cost more than his €17.3m FT valuation.

Luan Candido (Bragantino)

The Red Bull network extends well beyond Europe and at their Brazilian branch, Bragantino, Luan Candido looks to be a stand-out player. Previously on Leipzig's books, the left-back scored an impressive 11 goals from 32 Serie A games in 2022, and looks ready to make the step back up to the European game. Chelsea enjoy an advantage in his pursuit in that Vivell already knows him well.