Forget Nkunku: Tuchel must now seal Chelsea swoop for “world-class” 109-goal sensation – opinion
Christopher Nkunku of RB Leipzig is a target for Chelsea.
The Blues are reportedly interested in signing him, according to The Guardian.
Thomas Tuchel wants to bring in new forwards and is willing to sell current ones like Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, and Christian Pulisic in order to do so.
According to the Guardian, it would take a large fee to persuade Leipzig to sell the 24-year-old, whose market value has risen from £38.7 million to £72 million this season.
If they are unable to sign the France international, the west London club has other targets, including Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling.
With that in mind, how does Nkunku compare to the 27-year-old?
CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU
The former PSG attacker has had a wonderful season, scoring 31 goals in all competitions.
He also provides more than goalscoring, with only four players in Europe’s top five leagues with more assists.
His performances this season made his former manager Jesse Marsch claim that the 5 foot 9 talisman has “no weaknesses”.
“We have spoken to Christopher a lot about playing on the counter, and also what he needs to do to play as a striker, a number ten and on both wings. Christopher has no weaknesses. He is young and still wants a lot more.
“It’s always a good thing when a young player listens to the things we say and also wants to implement them. Working with him is a lot of fun as he is really intelligent and has a lot of potential.”
The £51k-per-week ace has carried the Leipzig attack this campaign. Alongside having the most goals and assists, he also leads the way in shots, key passes, and dribbles per game.
His WhoScored rating of 7.64 can only be bettered by Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga.
RAHEEM STERLING
With the England international, Chelsea would be getting a proven Premier League player.
He has scored 109 goals in the league, with the 13 he got last season enough to have made him the Blues’ top scorer.
His ability to maintain a continuous level of high performance in recent years has caused former teammates Daniel Sturridge to brand him “world-class”.
“I don’t think it’s spoken about enough at just how brilliant he has been, consistently throughout the last three or four seasons.
“He’s shown real growth and maturity in how he’s playing the game, working hard while positionally and tactically he’s been brilliant.
“He’s scoring goals as well which is one thing people would not have thought he could do consistently.
“He’s doing everything that is asked of him, on and off the pitch – doing everything that can be asked of a world-class player. I’ve been blown away by how he’s been playing.”
He is continuing to demonstrate his quality this year as well, being in the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers for goals, pass accuracy, and carries into the penalty area.