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Glenn Hoddle has questioned if Christopher Nkunku is ‘happy’ at Chelsea and believes he is one of several Stamford Bridge players who could ask to leave the club in January.
Chelsea spent £52m to sign Nkunku from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 but the France international has only made 26 appearances for the Blues due to injury issues.
Much was expected of Nkunku following his impressive spell in Germany, with the 26-year-old scoring 58 goals across his final two seasons at Leipzig.
Nkunku netted three goals in 14 games in his first season at Stamford Bridge and spent much of the campaign in the treatment room.
The Frenchman appears to be over those fitness problems but is still struggling for game-time under Enzo Maresca, only starting one league game so far this season.
Nkunku has often featured from the bench, however, and has impressed in cup competitions, scoring a hat-trick against League Two side Barrow last month.
He was handed another start on Thursday night in Chelsea’s Europa Conference League clash against Panathinaikos as Maresca opted to rest his first-choice striker this season, Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson was criticised for his wayward finishing last season but looks an improved player this term, already contributing five goals in the Premier League.
Hoddle believes Nkunku would be ‘more clinical’ than Jackson if offered the same opportunities and has suggested the French forward may look to leave if his game-time continues to be limited.
Speaking on TNT Sports ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Panathinaikos, Hoddle said of Nkunku: ‘The injuries are obviously there, he knows he’s not quite at his sharpest yet.
‘When I look at Chelsea’s forwards, I think Nkunku would be more clinical than Nicolas Jackson if he had the same time on the pitch and had his chances so far this season.
‘Jackson is obviously improving and getting more confident, he has the manager’s faith and backing right now.
‘Whether Nkunku is going to be happy… he might be one that will think he needs to leave come January if this is still happening.’
Ex-Chelsea forward Eni Aluko, meanwhile, said she was a ‘big fan’ of Nkunku and backed him to challenge Jackson for a place in the team.
‘I like him a lot,’ she said. ‘He’s a threat, he’s an intelligent player and he can play in a few different positions.
‘He’s really sharp but he’s been unfortunate because he hasn’t got into a groove because of those injuries.
‘But I think he can really compete for that No. 9 spot with Nicolas Jackson. I’m a big fan, I really like him.’
Nkunku has been tentatively linked with a move to former club Paris Saint-Germain but played down the speculation in a recent interview.
‘PSG remains a big club, but there has not been one approach,’ Nkunku told French outlet Telefoot.
Chelsea proved too strong for Greek side Panathinaikos on Thursday, returning to west London with three points courtesy of an empathic 4-1 win.
Joao Felix scored twice, Mykhailo Mudryk bagged a rare goal and Nkunku also got on the scoresheet as Chelsea made it two wins from two in the Europa Conference League.
Assessing Chelsea’s performance, TNT Sports co-commentator Lucy Ward said: ‘It’s been a good night for Chelsea, lots of good performances, lots of goals, Mudryk has done really well.
‘Maresca is quite calm and measured. You can tell how the team plays that they’ve worked on that sort of movement and passing.
‘The only mark on it is not a clean sheet but I think Maresca will be happy with the performance from his squad, to embrace the challenge of the Conference League.
‘I think that’s so important to team moral, it just gets the competition going and a lot of players thrive from competition for places.
‘Maresca’s got it going with the split he’s got in the squad. They’ve got the capability to go deep into the knockouts in this competition.
‘It’s terrific for the fans if you can lift a European trophy, and then complete the set, no club’s ever done that.’
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