Former Chelsea star claims there is a motive behind Enzo Maresca's Christpher Nkunku omissions
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Enzo Maresca may have a problem on his hands with Christopher Nkunku, with reports the forward could seek an exit. The Blues have a wealth of talent in their squad, and while Maresca has offloaded plenty of players during his reign so far, there are still some who are not getting enough game time.
Nkunku is one of them, with the forward having returned from an injury-troubled season of last. The forward has started just one Premier League game all season, and that’s despite the fact he arrived with a big reputation having scored 47 goals in 119 league appearances for RB Leipzig.
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Hide AdThe France international has a solid scoring record for Chelsea, scoring 13 goals in 21 league outings, but he is still not getting starts, stuck behind Pedro Neto, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke. According to one former Chelsea man, Emmanuel Petit, there may be a motive behind the lack of trust Maresca is showing Nkunku.
“Christopher Nkunku isn’t being prioritised at Chelsea because of who is coming in to play in that position, Estevao Willian,” he told Casino Hawks. “This is a player who has broken Neymar’s records in Brazil and has so much quality despite only being 17.
“His agent says that everything is clear with the Chelsea board in terms of plans and he’ll be playing in the number 10 position next season. Nkunku has done well and has also played well for France, but his injuries have held him back and although Chelsea will be very happy to keep him, he isn’t their priority.”
Willian is set to arrive at Chelsea next summer having scored 12 goals in 33 league games for Palmeiras, still only aged 17. “There is no ceiling on Estevao Willian as a player. Chelsea also have to be patient with him,” Petit added. “What he has done in Brazil is amazing but so many players have these promising starts to their careers and after two or three years it’s gone.
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Hide Ad“I’ve seen him play a few times and he has something very different. He is the type of guy you are happy to pay money to watch. He has everything and can go on to have an incredible career, but things can change so quickly in football.”
What Maresca has said about Nkunku
Maresca spoke earlier this month about Nkunku’s lack of appearances. “We cannot play with Joao, Cole [Palmer], Christo,” he said. “I’d like to put all of them on the pitch but then you need to defend, and you need the right balance. I don’t have any doubts that if Joao keeps working well, he will find his moment in the Premier League.
“Christo, every time he plays, he scores, and he does well. Also, he was probably our best player in pre-season, no doubt. He was playing then as an attacking midfielder and now we are using him as a nine, which we all know isn’t his position, he’s more a second striker or between the lines.
“But I try to find solution and balance with all of them but not all of them can be in their position, they have to adapt a bit. It’s for Joao, Christo, Misha [Mudryk, who Maresca was also asked about], they are all players who deserve more chances in the Premier League, but there are also more players who deserve that.”
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