On Tuesday afternoon, Chelsea football club continued their incredible spending spree under new owner Todd Boehly and confirmed the signing of long awaited capture Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
Despite their incredible spending last summer and the phenomenal transfer fees paid out, 25 year old Nkunku comes in to Stamford Bridge for a whopping £52 million as Chelsea met the fee of his release clause, and his arrival signals new manager Mauricio Pochettino’s first official signing since replacing former gaffer, Graham Potter, in their hot seat.
Despite being hit with a significant injury in the 2022/23 campaign, the 10 capped French international striker still registered 16 goals in 25 games for his former club in the Bundesliga and was the leagues joint top scorer at the end of the campaign despite the lack of game time he received, and he comes in with good experience having also tested himself in Ligue 1.
“I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea. A big effort was made to bring me to the club. I am very excited for this challenge and will be proud to wear the Chelsea shirt. Having played in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, I now want to play in the Premier League, one of the strongest leagues in the world.”
He is likely to be a significant addition to Chelsea’s forward line in the coming 2023/24 campaign as he arrives with three Ligue 1 winners medals (two French Cups on top) from his time at Paris Saint-Germain, and he was the Bundesliga Player of the Season and German PFA Player of the season in 2021/22 after scoring 20 times, and providing 15 assists and he leaves Germany with two German Cup winners medals.
Had it not been for his injury last season, he would have undoubtedly have been part of the French squad for the last World Cup, and his stock would no doubt be a lot higher as it was almost inevitable that he would shine on football highest stage.
The question Chelsea fans will now be asking themselves is how exactly will he be deployed by Pochettino given the other talent available to him, and does his arrival now see the end and departure of some players who have not worked out quite as well as originally hoped.