“He has no future at Chelsea” “He can’t play any role” – Jason Cundy questions Chelsea star future at Chelsea
Following his missed penalty and subsequent goal in Saturday’s 5-0 FA Cup victory against Morecambe, Christopher Nkunku’s role at Chelsea has come under examination.
Jason Cundy, a former Chelsea defender, has urged the Frenchman to consider his future with the team, saying he has “no role” in Enzo Maresca’s system.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Cundy expressed doubts about Nkunku’s fit in the current setup:
“What is Nkunku? What is his best position? Who is this player?”
Cundy believes Nkunku’s positional ambiguity is hindering his impact at Stamford Bridge:
“He’s a ten for me, he can play out on the left and be a body for 15 to 20 minutes at the end of games. But he isn’t a number nine and he and (Nicolas) Jackson are two totally different strikers and so Chelsea have two totally different attacks and two totally different set-ups with the wide men and Palmer.”
Highlighting the Frenchman’s struggles to find a defined role, Cundy added: “I feel for Nkunku because he’s caught between two positions. He’s not a number nine and he can’t play ten, so where is his best role? The whole role of number nine has been left down to Jackson this season, and Nkunku doesn’t do that job when he’s given the chance.”
Cundy went further to suggest that Nkunku’s long-term future at Chelsea is uncertain under Maresca:
“I think he will probably have to think about his future at the club because there is no role for him in this system and Maresca has no place for him. He’s using him because he feels like he has to.”
Nkunku’s performance in the FA Cup showed glimpses of his quality, but his missed penalty and the ongoing debate about his role underline the challenges he faces in carving out a place in Maresca’s Chelsea. Already in the January transfer window, questions about his future at Stamford Bridge are growing louder.