The January transfer window officially slammed shut for business last Monday and Chelsea went through the month without any major additions to their squad.
19-year-old central midfielder Mathis Amougou joined from Saint-Etienne on a permanent deal to provide competition in the midfield positions in the second half of this season and beyond.
He was the only first-team signing of the window for the Premier League giants, however, as they opted against any moves for a new goalkeeper or number nine.
The Blues, who were dumped out of the FA Cup by Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, will now have to aim for a successful end to the campaign with largely the same squad that they had in the first half.
Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League and competing to win the Conference League, which means that there is still plenty to play for in the months to come.
One player who could have a big role to play in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign is forward Christopher Nkunku, who was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.
Christopher Nkunku's failed January exit
Football Insider recently reported that Enzo Maresca has attempted to appease the France international after the attacker remained in London after the deadline passed.
Chalkboard
The 27-year-old forward’s future was up in the air throughout the window as he was linked with an exit away from Chelsea amid interest from multiple other European sides.
It revealed that the former RB Leipzig star was a target for Manchester United in the closing stages of the window, as Ruben Amorim’s side looked to bolster their attacking options. They were in talks with the Blues over a deal for the striker, but they failed to reach an agreement before the deadline.
Football Insider added that Chelsea also explored a swap-deal with Bayern Munich that would have seen Nkunku join the Bundesliga giants in exchange for Mathys Tel making the move to Stamford Bridge in the opposite direction.
The young attacker, however, completed a move on loan to Tottenham Hotspur, with an option to make it permanent in the summer, and that ended any chance of a swap deal for Nkunku.
Last week, Maresca claimed that they had always planned to retain his services, saying: “We planned since December to keep Christopher Nkunku. It was our intention. For sure now he will have bigger role. He played half an hour vs West Ham. Hopefully he can get more minutes and help us.”
Football Insider’s report suggests that Chelsea did explore multiple avenues to part ways with the forward, though, and his form in the Premier League to date suggests that they were right to look at the possibility of moving him on.
Christopher Nkunku's struggles at Chelsea
The Blues officially completed the signing of the French attacker from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of £52m, after his impressive form in the Bundesliga.
Nkunku racked up 70 goals and 54 assists in 172 appearances in all competitions for the German side, which suggested that he had the potential to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
The issue facing Chelsea upon his arrival, though, was about where he was going to play. Nkunku played in a front two for Leipzig and the Blues only play with one striker – Nicolas Jackson.
He has featured in a multitude of positions throughout his career, in midfield, on the right or left flank, as a number ten, as a second striker, and as a centre-forward, without nailing down one.
The majority of his appearances for Chelsea, to date, have come as a striker, with 24 outings in that role, but he has also played 11 times as a number ten and played eight games as a winger.
Appearances
11
20
xG
2.30
3.96
Goals
3
2
Big chances missed
3
5
Assists
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Nkunku has failed to offer much in the way of quality in any of those positions in the Premier League over the last 18 months, with just six goal contributions in 31 games.
Chelsea, however, may already have a player who could be the end of the Frenchman in the form of Estevao Willian, who is due to link up with the squad in the summer.
Why Estevao could be the end of Nkunku
The Premier League giants agreed a £29m deal to sign the 17-year-old Brazilian forward last summer, but he will not be able to officially join the club until his 18th birthday in April of this year.
Analyst Ben Mattinson previously described him as a “superstar” who could be a “future Ballon d’Or winner” and went as far as to say that he is on the same level as “early Santos Neymar”, which speaks to how impressive the youngster has been in his home country.
The teenage attacker primarily plays on the right flank and his arrival at Stamford Bridge in the summer would provide Maresca with another attacking option to finally ditch Nkunku by unleashing the teenage sensation.
Chelsea would have the likes of Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho, Estevao, Cole Palmer, and Nicolas Jackson to compete in the positions that Nkunku can play in, which suggests that there would be plenty of cover available to part ways with the French forward.
Appearances
31
xG
10.54
Goals
13
Big chances created
11
Assists
9
As you can see in the table above, the 17-year-old lit up the Brasileirao in the 2024 campaign with his ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis for Palmeiras.
He has showcased his quality in the Brazilian top-flight week-in-week-out at the age of just 17 and Chelsea will be hoping that he can translate that form over to the Premier League next season.
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If Estevao can hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge and emerge as an immediate first-team option for Maresca then his arrival could be the end for Nkunku, who has struggled for game time and form as it is.