Christopher Nkunku
It hasn’t been the signing that Chelsea fans hoped for. Seeing Christopher Nkunku excel in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig provided hope that Chelsea were bringing in a goal scoring machine. An injury during the 2023 pre-season halted his progress at Chelsea and he missed the majority of the season. Nicolas Jackson has been the preferred choice under Enzo Maresca and Nkunku has struggled to take his chances from the bench.
In the Conference League, however, he has shone and has five goals to his name, 1 less than the tournament top scorer and fellow Chelsea team mate Marc Guiu. Although it has been against weaker opposition, Nkunku took this opportunity and delivered. These performances, along with Jackson’s unfortunate injury, has propelled him into the starting XI for Chelsea and it is now in his hands to hold onto this position.
His goal and assist in the 4-0 thumping of Southampton gave Blues fans a glimmer of his capability but he will need to show more to stake a claim as the top forward in Chelsea. F.C Copenhagen will provide a stiff challenge and will be compact to stay in this tie.
Nkunku will need to be at his best and to lead the line if he and Chelsea are to leave Denmark with a victory. This is a critical moment in Nkunku’s Chelsea career. Rather than look elsewhere in the summer, Nkunku can take this chance and show the club that he is their answer to unlocking defences.