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‘It’s never worked’ – Chelsea star urged to leave after Enzo Maresca decision
Enzo Maresca hasn’t been able to get the best out of one player (Picture: Getty) Frank Leboeuf has urged Chelsea and Christopher Nkunku to ‘cut their losses’ and go their separate ways this summer as the Frenchman’s struggles at Stamford Bridge worsen. Much had been hoped of Nkunku at Chelsea when the versatile forward completed his £52m move from RB Leipzig in 2023. But after an injury-affected first campaign saw him feature sparingly in Mauricio Pochettino’s side, the 27-year-old has fared no better under Enzo Maresca this time around. Nkunku has started just nine league games so far this season, managing just five goal contributions in his 27 total appearances. The French international’s hopes of reviving his Chelsea career appear slim after he was dropped from the matchday squad for the Blues’ 2-1 win over Fulham last weekend, a decision later described as ‘technical’ by Maresca. Get personalised updates on Chelsea every day Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. And with Manchester United and Bayern Munich potentially keen to renew their interest in the summer, Lebouef reckons that Nkunku must take the opportunity to seek a fresh start in his career. ‘I think they need to cut their losses and go their separate ways,’ the former Chelsea centre-back told Metro via BetVictor. Christopher Nkunku was left out of Chelsea’s most recent Premier League matchday squad (Picture: Getty) ‘It’s best for the club but also the future of the player. Careers are pretty short so you have to react quickly if it doesn’t work. ‘And it can happen like this – sometimes the chemistry doesn’t work. I was very happy to see him come to Chelsea, but it’s never worked. ‘He’s never been able to settle down, maybe because the position he’s been offered wasn’t the right one. ‘It’s always difficult to come from a family club like Leipzig to a club where you have to perform and the pressure is one you always. I had that when I moved from Strasbourg to Chelsea and it’s a big task if you’re not able to cope with the situation. ‘It’s never worked for him but he’s still a good player. He will have to rebound but we’ve seen that before with players like Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah when they left.’ ‘Nicolas Jackson is short of the level’ Nicolas Jackson has not scored since his return from injury (Picture: Getty) With Nkunku flattering to deceive in front of goal, the goalscoring burden has largely rested on Nicolas Jackson’s shoulders this season. And despite starting the season positively, the Senegalese international has not scored since returning from a lengthy hamstring injury earlier this month. Maresca recently suggested that Jackson was his ‘perfect No.9’, but Leboeuf is unconvinced that the 23-year-old is the real deal. ‘His consistency was already a question before, but when he started to score a few goals people were too quick to say ‘maybe we can count on him’,’ he added. ‘I don’t want to be harsh on Nicolas but he’s only had one good year playing for his former club and suddenly he got a move to Chelsea. ‘So we’re talking about inconsistencies of a player who is still so young and hasn’t shown that he can cope with the pressure at Chelsea at a consistent level. He works hard for the team and he never gives up, but he’s short of the level that Chelsea are looking for.’ ‘Chelsea owners may be tempted to sell Cole Palmer’ Cole Palmer has suffered a dip in form (Picture: Getty) Despite investing well over £1billion in transfer fees since their arrival, Chelsea’s new owners have not been met with universal acclaim from the fanbase. And despite their lavish spending, Leboeuf still reckons that Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are more concerned with spinning a profit than success on the pitch. ‘You want to know where the club stands, but at present their only target is to make money out of the players they have bought,’ he said. ‘Sure, they give big, long contracts for young players but if they can make a profit, then they will sell them. That’s the goal. Cole Palmer, who was bought for £40m, could be sold for 120 or 130 million in the summer if they got an offer. I think they will take the money and buy two younger players. ‘The goal is not to be champions of England, the goal is not to be in the Champions League, it’s to make money out of the players that they’ve bought. ‘If they had the goal of winning trophies, they would have kept Connor Gallagher or given experienced players like N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva another year. Ben Chilwell has a bit of experience, but even he was ot rid of.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Frank Leboeuf has urged Chelsea and Christopher Nkunku to ‘cut their losses’ and go their separate ways this summer as the Frenchman’s struggles at Stamford Bridge worsen.
Much had been hoped of Nkunku at Chelsea when the versatile forward completed his £52m move from RB Leipzig in 2023.
But after an injury-affected first campaign saw him feature sparingly in Mauricio Pochettino’s side, the 27-year-old has fared no better under Enzo Maresca this time around.
Nkunku has started just nine league games so far this season, managing just five goal contributions in his 27 total appearances.
The French international’s hopes of reviving his Chelsea career appear slim after he was dropped from the matchday squad for the Blues’ 2-1 win over Fulham last weekend, a decision later described as ‘technical’ by Maresca.
Get personalised updates on Chelsea every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
And with Manchester United and Bayern Munich potentially keen to renew their interest in the summer, Lebouef reckons that Nkunku must take the opportunity to seek a fresh start in his career.
‘I think they need to cut their losses and go their separate ways,’ the former Chelsea centre-back told Metro via BetVictor.
‘It’s best for the club but also the future of the player. Careers are pretty short so you have to react quickly if it doesn’t work.
‘And it can happen like this – sometimes the chemistry doesn’t work. I was very happy to see him come to Chelsea, but it’s never worked. ‘He’s never been able to settle down, maybe because the position he’s been offered wasn’t the right one.
‘It’s always difficult to come from a family club like Leipzig to a club where you have to perform and the pressure is one you always. I had that when I moved from Strasbourg to Chelsea and it’s a big task if you’re not able to cope with the situation.
‘It’s never worked for him but he’s still a good player. He will have to rebound but we’ve seen that before with players like Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah when they left.’
‘Nicolas Jackson is short of the level’
With Nkunku flattering to deceive in front of goal, the goalscoring burden has largely rested on Nicolas Jackson’s shoulders this season.
And despite starting the season positively, the Senegalese international has not scored since returning from a lengthy hamstring injury earlier this month.
Maresca recently suggested that Jackson was his ‘perfect No.9’, but Leboeuf is unconvinced that the 23-year-old is the real deal.
‘His consistency was already a question before, but when he started to score a few goals people were too quick to say ‘maybe we can count on him’,’ he added.
‘I don’t want to be harsh on Nicolas but he’s only had one good year playing for his former club and suddenly he got a move to Chelsea.
‘So we’re talking about inconsistencies of a player who is still so young and hasn’t shown that he can cope with the pressure at Chelsea at a consistent level. He works hard for the team and he never gives up, but he’s short of the level that Chelsea are looking for.’
‘Chelsea owners may be tempted to sell Cole Palmer’
Despite investing well over £1billion in transfer fees since their arrival, Chelsea’s new owners have not been met with universal acclaim from the fanbase.
And despite their lavish spending, Leboeuf still reckons that Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are more concerned with spinning a profit than success on the pitch.
‘You want to know where the club stands, but at present their only target is to make money out of the players they have bought,’ he said.
‘Sure, they give big, long contracts for young players but if they can make a profit, then they will sell them. That’s the goal. Cole Palmer, who was bought for £40m, could be sold for 120 or 130 million in the summer if they got an offer. I think they will take the money and buy two younger players.
‘The goal is not to be champions of England, the goal is not to be in the Champions League, it’s to make money out of the players that they’ve bought.
‘If they had the goal of winning trophies, they would have kept Connor Gallagher or given experienced players like N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva another year. Ben Chilwell has a bit of experience, but even he was ot rid of.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
