Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Christopher Nkunku has suffered yet another injury. The French star previously arrived at the west London club in July for around $65 million from RB Leipzig. While the move was thought to be a fantastic signing, Nkunku has unfortunately dealt with a series of setbacks since the summer.
The Frenchman initially missed over 150 days of action after hurting his knee during a preseason match here in the United States. After finally making his Chelsea debut days ahead of Christmas, Nkunku once again suffered a minor injury a few weeks later. Although the forward only missed five matches at the time, the recent setback only further derails his attempt to get into a real rhythm with the club.
Nkunku entered the fray at the weekend against Liverpool as a second-half substitute. The Reds eventually topped the Blues to hoist the Carabao Cup trophy at Wembley Stadium. Not only did Chelsea lose the game, but they will now be without Nkunku for at least a few weeks.
“We need to evaluate [Nkunku] every day,” Pochettino told reporters on Tuesday as he prepares for an FA Cup fixture with Leeds. “At the moment, he could be maybe three or four weeks out. We hope no more.”
“We found out after [the final that he had suffered an injury]. It’s difficult for him. When he arrived in preseason, he was flying on the pitch and in training in America. Then, he got the knee injury and now it’s nearly eight months later. Even when he was ready to be involved again, he couldn’t be the same as before. That is the risk.”
“We have in our head the potential best Nkunku that everyone knows from the Bundesliga, but he can’t be that player. That is why it is unfair to judge because the situations are completely different.”
Chelsea now has some fairly tough fixtures scheduled looking ahead. Along with the aforementioned FA Cup clash, the Blues also play Brentford, Newcastle, and Arsenal within the next three weeks. Nkunku will certainly miss all of these matches. Without their star forward, Chelsea could potentially sink even deeper in the Premier League standings. The club currently sits 11th in the table ahead of the difficult upcoming matches.
Along with the disappointing Nkunku news, there are also suggestions that Chelsea may be in serious trouble with the league come summertime. According to The Telegraph, several rival clubs believe the Blues need to offload a series of players before July 1st. This ultimately comes down to potential problems with the league’s profit and sustainability laws. The club needs to generate more than $125 million in sales in the coming months.
Chelsea has spent over $1 billion on a plethora of new players since the summer of 2022. Although they have recouped a chunk of money with previous player sales, many say that the sell-off needs to continue. The 2023/24 financial year ends in late June and the Blues need to raise significantly more money ahead of this deadline.
Despite spending so much money, Chelsea has continued to struggle on the pitch. It could be difficult to find buyers for many of the flops currently in the squad, particularly from fellow Premier League sides. Nevertheless, the Blues need to adhere to the rules or potentially face a points deduction.
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