How Nkunku ended Chelsea's Osimhen pursuit

Tom Weber

• 15 Jun 2024 20:31 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are convinced that Christopher Nkunku will hit double figures in goals next season, according to a report.

The Frenchman endured a horrendous debut campaign at Stamford Bridge after suffering a serious pre-season injury that sidelined him until the end of 2023.

After suffering several more setbacks, the former RB Leipzig sharpshooter eventually ended the season with just 514 minutes to his name, spread across 14 appearances in which he scored three goals.

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Having arrived at Chelsea for a whopping €60 million after a year-long wait, with the deal informally agreed already in 2022, expectations were naturally high for Nkunku, but his season ultimately ended in major disappointment.

Nevertheless, Chelsea are keeping the faith, hence why they are not entertaining offers for the 26-year-old despite receiving numerous enquiries, with Nkunku himself keen to prove himself next term.

Chelsea expect Nkunku to improve

In fact, Chelsea believe that Nkunku can recapture his RB Leipzig form in the upcoming campaign and hit double figures in goals, according to Ben Jacobs. Additionally, the Blues are quite happy with the impact Nicolas Jackson had in his first season despite the 17-goal striker receiving criticism for frequently spurning chances.

The above contributed to Chelsea ending their pursuit of Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen and convinced them that they can afford to buy a younger and more unpolished striker like Aston Villa's Jhon Duran this summer rather than spending €130m on a proven goal machine.

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“Chelsea have got faith in Nicolas Jackson, which might mean that they do lean a little bit younger, because they feel like there's a lot of players that will chip in," Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT. "You've also got Christopher Nkunku, who can play as a false nine in that central position."

“And the belief within Chelsea is that because of his unfortunate injuries and his lack of game time last season, this coming season is going to see a fit Nkunku get into double figures. If [Cole] Palmer gets into double figures and Jackson gets into double figures, then suddenly you can buy younger.”