It’s going to be very interesting to see how Chelsea get the best out of Christopher Nkunku in the upcoming season.
Unfortunately, Christopher Nkunku saw his debut season in English football wrecked by injury. The 26-year-old Frenchman played just 14 games across all competitions for the Blues in the last campaign.
Chelsea fans haven’t seen much yet of versatile attacker Nkunku. It’s worth remembering that he’s a player who scored 70 goals in 172 games for RB Leipzig before last summer’s transfer to Stamford Bridge.
Journalist Ben Jacobs reported via GiveMeSport last month that Chelsea believe Nkunku will score double figures next season.
Where will new head coach Enzo Maresca fit Nkunku into the starting XI, though? These are three ways he could do so…
Christopher Nkunku as the striker
As mentioned above, Nkunku can play pretty much anywhere across the forward line. This includes operating as a No 9.
Therefore, one way that Maresca could line up is with him leading the line as the central striker.
Journalist Simon Phillips claimed via Substack last month that Chelsea consider Nkunku as a striker option. So, could we see him and Nicolas Jackson compete for the position as the main centre-forward next season?
A big strength of Nkunku’s game is that he’s a sharp finisher and moves intelligently inside the box. Can he provide the right kind of focal point, though?
Christopher Nkunku in the No 10
A different way that Chelsea could accommodate Nkunku is by using him centrally as a No 10 playmaker that drifts just behind a main striker.
The French attacker is technically great on the ball and clever in picking up pockets of space.
Journalist Simon Phillips also reported on Substack last month that Maresca will consider Nkunku as a No 10. The same goes for Blues teammate Cole Palmer, too.
It could make more sense to use Palmer in that position and get Nkunku higher up the pitch, but we’ll see what happens during pre-season.
Christopher Nkunku off the left wing
Finally, Nkunku has proven in the past he’s a great option when he plays as a left-winger. He needs a licence to drift infield, though.
This could be a way of fitting him into the starting line-up, but there’s certainly some obstacles with that.
There was a huge reliance last season on Leicester City’s wingers staying wide in Maresca’s system, so we’ll have to see if he adopts a similar approach with Chelsea in pre-season.
Also, there’s teammates in the squad that are likely to be hopeful of nailing down the left wing themselves. Both Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk are naturally wise players that excel on the left flank.
Related Topics
