Christopher Nkunku breaks his silence after joining Chelsea for £53million
Christopher Nkunku breaks his silence after joining Chelsea for £53m, with former RB Leipzig striker vowing to ‘give everything’ for his new club
Christopher Nkunku has promised to ‘give everything’ for Chelsea after becoming the first signing of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign at the club earlier this week.
The striker joined from RB Leipzig earlier this week for £53 million, after the two clubs agreed a deal late last year.
He may not be the absolute number nine that Chelsea fans wanted, but a Blues side who scored just 38 league goals last season will certainly benefit from a man who single-handedly scored 36 over the past two Bundesliga campaigns.
When asked why he had chosen to join the BluesNkunku told the club website: ‘I think the project was good for me. It’s a good project for me to develop myself as a player and also as a person.
“And this is a good city after all, and I definitely want to improve in football and I want to win trophies and improve myself as well. So I think this is a good project for me right now. This is certainly a good project.’
French striker Christopher Nkunku has transferred from RB Leipzig to Chelsea for £53 million
The 25-year-old has scored 58 goals in all competitions over the past two seasons
Nkunku helped Leipzig clinch the second trophy in their history in his last game for the club
He admitted not knowing London beyond the stadiums he had played in with Leipzig, but will see some familiar faces at Cobham after playing with Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana for France.
The 25-year-old made 10 appearances for his country and was initially part of their squad for last year’s World Cup, although injury ruled him out on the eve of the tournament.
On what he would bring to Chelsea next season, Nkunku said: ‘I’m a hard worker. I will give everything for the club, for the fans and to help the team take home some trophies. To give the best of my football. I hope I will make them as happy as I am to be here at this club.
“On the field I’m a bit quiet, but I can talk, I can also shout. But I am very focused on football and on winning, on doing everything right, so I can say that I speak with my feet. But of course it’s important to talk to the guys on the field.’
The Frenchman also revealed he had not yet spoken to Pochettino, although former teammates from his time at Paris Saint-Germain assured him the manager was “a very good coach”.
He is the first signing of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign at the club, although the deal was initially agreed when Thomas Tuchel was in charge
Nkunku admitted to having little knowledge of London but will be familiar with teammates Wesley Fofana (left) and Benoit Badiashile (right) after playing with them for France
The striker looks destined to replace Kai Havertz up front at the Blues as the German striker is poised to join Arsenal
Nkunku arrives at Chelsea following an outstanding spell at Leipzig, scoring 70 goals and 58 in the past two years in all competitions.
He was named Bundesliga Player of the Year in 2021/22, despite competitions with the likes of Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.
Having started his career as a central midfielder, he became popular in Germany playing for four and is most comfortable playing number 10.
With last season’s top scorer Kai Havertz joining Arsenal this summer, Nkunku’s arrival could be the key to Pochettino’s hopes of bringing the Blues back to Europe.