January 13th 2024.
Chelsea's star forward Christopher Nkunku has unfortunately suffered yet another injury setback. This has caused manager Mauricio Pochettino to urge the club's board to take a "clinical" approach to fixing the problem. Nkunku, who recently returned from a five-month absence due to knee surgery, has now been sidelined with a hip issue and has been unable to train since before the team's FA Cup win over Preston on January 6. Pochettino is unsure when the France international will be available again.
With fellow summer-signing Nicolas Jackson away representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations and Armando Broja still trying to regain his form after a nine-month ACL injury, Pochettino is left with limited options in Nkunku's absence. This has put the team in a difficult spot as they try to maintain their improved goalscoring form from last season, where they had their lowest league goal tally in almost a century. Although they have already scored 34 goals halfway through the Premier League campaign, they have struggled to convert their possession into clear chances.
In their recent Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough, Chelsea had 72% possession and 18 shots on goal, but still suffered a 1-0 defeat. With the January transfer window still open, the team has the option to bring in new players, but Pochettino emphasizes the importance of making swift decisions to address the current situation.
"We need to be very clinical in taking some decisions to see how we can fix this problem," he said. "Nkunku's absence makes it more difficult to continue our exciting project and grow at a different pace."
Currently, the team is relying heavily on Broja, who has just returned from a year-long absence, to lead the attack. There have been rumors of possible moves for Brentford's Ivan Toney and Brighton's Evan Ferguson to strengthen their forward line in January.
"Nkunku was the only consistent goalscorer we had before the start of the season, coming from a different league in Germany," Pochettino explained. "But unfortunately, injuries happened and we had to rely on Broja and Jackson, who are still young and need time to adapt. The absence of Nkunku has definitely impacted our team and made our job more difficult."
As the team navigates this difficult situation, Pochettino remains optimistic about their project but acknowledges that it will require patience and growth at a different pace. Meanwhile, Chelsea's young star Cole Palmer has expressed confusion over Pep Guardiola's decision to let him go, and Pochettino has also given an update on Thiago Silva's future with the club as his contract is set to expire.
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