Christopher Nkunku’s poor performance in Chelsea’s FA Cup loss to Brighton on Saturday earned him the moniker “total waste of money.” Enzo Maresca’s team was eliminated from the cup tournament in the fourth round despite taking the lead following a disastrous goalkeeping error by Bart Verbruggen. Goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma sealed the victory. Chelsea has only won three of their past 10 games across all competitions, and the loss further exacerbates their poor recent performance.
Even though Chelsea fielded a formidable team away from home, they put on a poor show in front of their traveling supporters, managing only two shots on goal in the ninety minutes. Maresca offered Nkunku a unique opportunity to lead the line for Chelsea in the absence of Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson due to injury, but the Frenchman conned once more. Due to the fact that he has only started three Premier League games under Maresca this season, the 27-year-old was strongly linked to leaving Stamford Bridge. Craig Burley, a former Chelsea player, said Nkunku could not provide a convincing argument for why he should be given additional chances following his most recent performance.
Chelsea star struggles in Brighton loss
Maresca supported Nkunku despite Chelsea’s crisis up front; thus, his lackluster performance was somewhat of a shame. Upon being questioned about Chelsea’s inability to sign a new attacker in January, he responded, “I said after the West Ham game that the things that we planned in terms of players that had the desire to leave and the players that we need.” I believe we completed all of the necessary tasks in the end. We had Marc and Nico as our two strikers before the most recent match. Christo [Nkunku] and I occasionally adapt there as well, but if neither of them is available, we’ll come up with another plan.”
Last month, Nkunku was linked to a move to Manchester United, but after only three Premier League starts under Maresca, he may now have to endure more misery on the bench. While Jackson has scored nine goals and provided five assists, he has started all but two of Chelsea’s league games. Maresca stated after the game that Chelsea missed Jackson’s presence, which was brutal for Nkunku. “There are times when I believe you have to play some games without players to understand how important they are,” he stated. His pressure is consistently excellent off the ball, and he is a constant threat when on it.
