Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea | Confirmed

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MyOnlySolskjaer

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Full Name: Christopher Alan Nkunku
Date of Birth: Nov 14, 1997 (24)
Nationality: France

Other Nationalities:
DR Congo

Height:
175cm
Position: Midfield - Attacking Midfield
Foot: Right
Player agent: Pini Zahavi
Current club: RB Leipzig

Joined: Jul 18, 2019
Contract expires: Jun 30, 2024
Outfitter: adidas

 

Bwuk

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Looks a great player, and is banging them in the CL.
 

CM10

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Don't mind this link. Not necessarily a position of priority but certainly the right type of player we should be targeting.
 

Deery

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Seen this earlier, I thought he was a striker. Seems to have good stats but don’t know much about him. Anything is better than what we have atm I guess.
 

Powderfinger

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Great player but operates best playing as an attacking midfielder or second striker, most effectively when shaded to the left so he can cut in on his right foot. That's also the general area of the pitch where Sancho, Rashford, and Elanga are most effective.

IMO, United need a real #9 to lead the line and also maybe a left-footed RW player if Greenwood isn't coming back, and he isn't either one. I could see him being a lone CF only in a Guardiola type setup.
 
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Mainoldo

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Don’t see much crossing from those clips. Therefore do not want!!

Rather Harvey Barnes
 

DWelbz19

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Looks like a great player, but it doesn't seem like he fits anywhere for us.
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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Great player but operates best playing as an attacking midfielder or second striker, most effectively when shaded to the left so he can cut in on his right foot. That's also the general area of the pitch where Sancho, Rashford, and Elanga are most effective.

IMO, United need a real #9 to lead the line and also maybe a left-footed RW player if Greenwood isn't coming back, and he isn't either one. I could see him being a lone CF only in a Guardiola type setup.
Didn't he score a hattrick against City playing on the RW?
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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Looks like a great player, but it doesn't seem like he fits anywhere for us.
He's a pretty flexible player. I think managers would love to have him. I don't think he fits in an Ole system but there are probably ways he fits in under Pochettino or Ten Hag.

vs Bayern


vs Man City


vs Dortmund


vs Koln
 

bond19821982

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RBL sell at reasonable prices too. Think Ralph will definitely look at couple of their players this summer.
 

Bebestation

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How is his CL performances.

Don't rate players from such leagues and their performances in them.
 

AngeloHenriquez

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Looks a great player, very adaptable but I will say having watched that video of all his goals/ assists this season, the majority of goals are where he's been played through 1 on 1 with the keeper and ran past the last defender. With so many teams defending deep in the premiership I don't see him suiting our style at all, he reminds me of an in form Rashford to be honest.
 

pocco

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He's pretty unique in his ball carrying ability from central areas. It's not often you see players in that mould these days. Similar to Jacob Ramsey at Villa in that sense.

He's got a good goalscoring record this season but the caveat is that he plays in the Bundesliga and in a team that moves quickly in attack - none of this sideways passing rubbish we find, which allows teams to set up defensively. I think he benefits a lot from this as he plays against high lines with retreating defenders and can exploit the space with his pace or isolate defenders one vs one with his dribbling ability and trickery. This is the potential issue for me, as I don't think he'll play in many games like this for us and I have to wonder if he would be as effective. He looks like a really good player to me, but I think he'd do better at even another PL club like Liverpool where they just manage to draw teams out and transition quicker than we do.
 

Oranges038

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Don’t see much crossing from those clips. Therefore do not want!!

Rather Harvey Barnes
He's contracted until 2025, that plus English tax = 60m+.

Nkunku looks too similar to Rashford, Elanga and Sancho. More inclined to try and come inside than to play wide and try and get crosses into the box.
 

antk

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We’re probably looking at him as Pogba’s replacement. Can he play in a 4-3-3 with Bruno and a holding midfielder? How’s his work rate defensively?
He's an attacking midfielder/forward. If anything, he plays in Bruno's place in this hypothetical 4-3-3's midfield.
 
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Adnan

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He's an attacking midfielder/forward. If anything, he plays in Bruno's place in this hypothetical 4-3-3.
Agreed with this.

It's either as the most advanced midfielder or as one of the wide forwards.
 

davidmichael

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With Martial most likely leaving bringing Nkunku in would make sense as he can play as an attacking midfielder, a 10 or from the left and with Rashford struggling for form I’d be happy with Nkunku on the left and Sancho playing on the right as he was brought in to do.

If (a massive IF) Greenwood comes back then having Sancho, Greenwood, Rashford, Nkunku, Diallo and Elanga as wide options is a great balance. We’d still need a striker as I can see both Ronaldo and Cavani leaving in the summer, I like the look of Adeyemi and Nunez.
 

jesperjaap

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Good player we dont need and I stuggle to see where he fits in as he either players out wide or in Fernandes position and he isnt really a winger. Liek him but dotn see what he solves for us at all....bit like us signing VDB
 

SAF is the GOAT

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Now that Mason is out of the picture, I wouldn't mind him coming here, he's quality.
 

Devil may care

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Makes sense, we only have 3 wide forwards in Sancho/Rashford/Elanga as Martial won't be returning imo and Greenwood is done, it's just not official yet. Plus Nkunku can offer a much needed challenge to Bruno for the AM role in the midfield 3.

He's contracted until 2025, that plus English tax = 60m+.

Nkunku looks too similar to Rashford, Elanga and Sancho. More inclined to try and come inside than to play wide and try and get crosses into the box.
That's pretty much every wide player now, the 2 best teams in the PL have those type of wide players as an example, if we want pure crossing machines then we need to look at changing fullbacks or getting more out of our current ones.
 

SAF is the GOAT

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- RB Leipzig's Head of Soccer Oliver Mintzlaff has come to know from his transfer market informants that #mufc, Manchester City and PSG are keen on Christopher Nkunku.
Leipzig have a set a value of €55m on the attacker #mujournal
[BILD_Sport]
 

Pintu

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He is a Bayern/City/Liverpool type of player. I can’t see him any where else at the moment.
 

Chairman Steve

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This feels a player that we wish Lingard could be. Versatile attacking midfielder who can press all game and also doesn’t leak to the press :)
 

V.O.

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Doesn't seem like a Bundesliga stat padder type, either. Has played against PSG, City, Bayern, Dortmund this year and scored against all of them, with a hat trick against City.

Hard to know where he'd be playing without knowing who the manager will be, though. I guess Rangnick if he stays might see him as being alongside Bruno in the 4-2-2-2 if he wants to get the players in to go back to that.
 

Oranges038

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Makes sense, we only have 3 wide forwards in Sancho/Rashford/Elanga as Martial won't be returning imo and Greenwood is done, it's just not official yet. Plus Nkunku can offer a much needed challenge to Bruno for the AM role in the midfield 3.



That's pretty much every wide player now, the 2 best teams in the PL have those type of wide players as an example, if we want pure crossing machines then we need to look at changing fullbacks or getting more out of our current ones.
I'm not advocating for guys who can only cross the ball. But, a bit of variation wouldn't hurt, I would have no problem if these guys did that and could put a cross in when it's on, like the players at City and Liverpool. They just can't.

He's not really an out and out winger either, although he can play there. When I've seen him there, he prefers to come inside, he just looks more comfortable and better at operating in those central areas.

So, he's not really going to solve the RW problem and it would be pointless to add him and expect him to be another one the same as what's already there for the LW. He's not going to want to come and play as a backup to Bruno either. It will only make sense if he's going to come in and fill the hole that will hopefully be left by Pogba in the summer.
 

Devil may care

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I'm not advocating for guys who can only cross the ball. But, a bit of variation wouldn't hurt, I would have no problem if these guys did that and could put a cross in when it's on, like the players at City and Liverpool. They just can't.

He's not really an out and out winger either, although he can play there. When I've seen him there, he prefers to come inside, he just looks more comfortable and better at operating in those central areas.

So, he's not really going to solve the RW problem and it would be pointless to add him and expect him to be another one the same as what's already there for the LW. He's not going to want to come and play as a backup to Bruno either. It will only make sense if he's going to come in and fill the hole that will hopefully be left by Pogba in the summer.
Sancho and Elanga can both cross fine, even Rashford can if he ever looked up, that's a lack if discipline issue, nothing more, this group of players need a manager to get a grip on them.

Nkunku has played on the right and can follow instructions, I don't see an issue once the team is properly in sync, right now we are just getting by but next season I expect us to start playing as more of a unit. You can't play Bruno and Nkunku in front a DM, you need one proper #8, but Bruno has to stop being an automatic starter, the fact Nkunku can cover 2 positions at a high level in a summer where we also need 3 more starters makes him a good choice imo.
 
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