Mauricio Pochettino has named the four positions Christopher Nkunku could play for Chelsea. The 25-year-old was finally unveiled as a Blues player last month, penning a deal which keeps him at Stamford Bridge until 2029 .
football.london understands that Chelsea were monitoring Nkunku during his time at RB Leipzig, and they were thoroughly impressed. Despite having missed two months of the season, the France international still managed to get his hands on the Bundesliga golden boot, along with Niclas Fullkrug, scoring 16 goals. After the west Londoners struggled to find the net last term, Nkunku is expected to play a starring role under Pochettino .
And, he's already hit the ground running in pre-season, finding the net in each of the Blues' clashes against Wrxeham and Brighton – but as a sole striker. In an interview with Chelsea TV, as quoted by the Metro, the former Tottenham boss explained that Nkunku will not be reduced to the No.9 role and he'll be used in other positions throughout the season. Pochettino said:
"Well I think Nkunku can play in different positions. "For the circumstances in these two games we use him as a striker, but he can play like an offensive midfielder, like a No.10, like a No.8 or on the side also. It’s about the dynamic and the animation of the team and of course the relationship between the team-mates. "But he’s a fantastic player and he’s improving every day,"
added the Argentine. Then, when asked if Nkunku could one day play a supporting role behind Nicolas Jackson, he replied:
"Yeah for sure we arrive now in the next few games the possibility to play together also. "But the circumstances make that [hard] in the first few games, we need to use them both for the different physical condition, to change and to share minutes. But of course, it’s one of the possibilities to play both in attack."
After leading the line against Wrxeham in Chelsea's pre- season opener, Nkunku said:
"Yeah this is my position, I like to play this position, to be free to move and fit into space also. So yeah, this is my position and I’m very happy."
Chelsea have recently been heavily linked with a move for Kylian Mbappe, who faces an uncertain future at Paris Saint- Germain. If the 24-year-old forward was to join the west Londoners then Nkunku's versatility would certainly accommodate him in the starting lineup.
However, after Mykhailo Mudryk combined excellently with Jackson against Brighton, Pochettino may be reluctant to swap the Ukrainian for Mbappe, who's also best utilised on the left-wing. In an ideal world, the Argentinean would operate the Frenchman as a right-winger, leaving the new signing from Villarreal undisrupted...