Chelsea could now be ready to sanction a shock exit from Stamford Bridge in January despite their strong start to the season under new boss Enzo Maresca, it has been claimed.
Chelsea hold Arsenal to draw
Having lost just twice in the Premier League all season so far, Chelsea head into the international break in third after holding out-of-form Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Blues fell a goal down thanks to Gabriel Martinelli, but responded through a rasping drive from Pedro Neto, who found the bottom corner from 25 yards out to restore parity and grab his first Premier League goal in Chelsea colours.
They survived a late scare late on when Leandro Trossard poked wide with the last kick of the game, but held on to a point against a team tipped to challenge for the title, who now find themselves behind the Blues on goal difference and a massive nine points off the early leaders Liverpool.
It underlines just how impressive Enzo Maresca’s work has been at Stamford Bridge since his arrival in the summer, with his only defeats coming against the clubs directly above the Blues (Manchester City and Liverpool) and the west Londoners having a favourable run of fixtures ahead to try and pull ahead of the competition in the race for the top four, or even mount an unlikely title challenge of their own.
Chelsea’s next five Premier League games |
Leicester City (Away) |
Aston Villa (Home) |
Southampton (Away) |
Tottenham (Away) |
Brentford (Home) |
But their success hasn’t been shared by everyone, and now one player could be ready to jump ship mid season.
Forward could leave Chelsea in January
That is according to French outlet L’Equipe, who point to Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku as the potential wantaway star this winter. Signed from RB Leipzig two years ago, the Frenchman has not started a Premier League game since the opening day of the season, and has seen just 154 minutes of Premier League action including the final two minutes against Arsenal.
Speaking ahead of the season, Maresca was full of praise for the Frenchman, suggesting he would be an important figure at Stamford Bridge.
“I knew Nkunku before I joined and I love him. He can play in the pocket, as a nine and winger. He’s a very good fit for this system”, Maresca told the media.
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However, that has not translated to significant Premier League game time and with Estevao due to join up with the squad next summer and the Blues reportedly keen to sign a new striker as soon as January, competition for places in Maresca’s attack will only become more fierce.
And as per L’Equipe, Nkunku is already unhappy with his playing time in west London, while the Blues “would be open to selling Nkunku given the amount of firepower they currently have at their disposal”.
In fact, Old Trafford is named as a potential destination, with Manchester United looking to hand more firepower to new incoming boss Ruben Amorim. However, any deal is likely to be expensive, with Nkunku under contract until 2029 at Stamford Bridge, and still in the prime of his career, leaving it unlikely that he would be sold on the cheap.
